Foot-and-mouth vaccine to protect U.S. livestock AMES, Iowa, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has tapped Harrisvaccines to develop an RNA Particle vaccine to protect U.S. livestock from food-and-mouth disease. The disease, which is highly infectious, is considered a significant threat to U.S. agriculture although there have been no outbreaks of FMD since 1929. "FMD is considered by many to be the most economically devastating livestock disease in the world: it is highly transmissible; results in economic losses in animal production; and depopulation, the most effective means of control, would cost producers and the governments millions or even billions of dollars," according to a 2011 report by Iowa State University's Center for Food Security and Public health. Harrisvaccines said it will develop an RNA Particle vaccine using its unique RP platform technology, which allows for the vaccine to be manufactured without handling the infectious FMD virus; only a gene sequence from the virus is needed to prepare the vaccine. The method would allow the vaccine to be produced, if needed. Traditional methods for producing vaccines are not allowed for FMD in the United States because of the risk the virus' release during production. "We are very excited for the opportunity to use our RNA Particle vaccine technology in a project this significant to U.S. agriculture," says Dr. Kurt Kamrud, vice president of research and chief scientific officer for Harrisvaccines. Our rapid response technology allows us to produce large amounts of vaccine quickly. And, because only a portion of the FMDV genetic information is required to generate a vaccine, the RP-based approach will allow for the differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals when used with current and next generation FMD serology-based diagnostic assays, which is very important in the event of an outbreak. Work on the contract, which is worth about $1.1 million, will take place over the next 34 months.