June 3, 2020 (Victoria, BC) SpayVac for Wildlife, Inc. (SFW) announces a research collaboration agreement with the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under this collaborative agreement, SFW has worked with USDA-NWRC to formulate a novel immunocontraceptive vaccine, using VacciMax®, for a trial in captive horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is providing the horses to be tested. Testing of this new vaccine began in May with all horses entering the study having completed their injection. This new vaccine uses our patented nanoparticle formulation in combination with Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP-15) and Growth Differentiation Factor 9 (GDF-9) antigens. Both BMP-15 and GDF-9 are known regulators of follicular growth, and a preliminary study by Davis, et al. (2018) demonstrated effects on follicular size, ovulation rate, and estrous behavior. Long-term studies are still needed, but this vaccine may cause permanent sterility in mares, which would be a welcome fertility control option for free-ranging herds that are difficult to access. Safety and efficacy will be studied over a 3-year period in a controlled trial.
“We are excited about the opportunity to develop novel treatments for overabundant wildlife in a partnership with the USDA and APHIS. They have extensive knowledge of fertility control methods and access to horses that can be used for testing the safety and efficacy of new products.” -- Dr. Ursula Bechert, Cofounder and VP of Research and Development for SFW.
"There is a high unmet need for fertility control to manage wildlife populations," said Mr. Mark Fraker-- VP of Operations and Cofounder. "Agencies responsible for managing overabundant animal populations, such as BLM, are under pressure to reduce an exploding wild horse population and do it in a humane way."
SFW's lead vaccine candidates, SpayVac-equid and SpayVac-cervid, are expected to be submitted for approval by the EPA in 3Q 2020. SFW plans to develop an entire portfolio of novel, patented fertility-control vaccines for multiple species.