There could soon be a vaccine against African Swine Fever based on work by researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Virginia Tech .
They have genetically engineered a weakened version of the the deadly virus using reverse genetics—essentially “building” the virus from cloned DNA in a controlled laboratory setting. This advancement allows scientists to safely manipulate specific genes in the virus, enabling the creation of an attenuated vaccine strain.
Dr. Douglas Gladue of the ARS team said it is “a major step forward” because the weakened virus builds immunity without sickening pigs.
While this doesn’t mean an immediate end to ASF, it does signal a potential turning point.
