Develop a novel vaccine to protect poultry from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a $2 million cooperative agreement to Iowa State University of Science and Technology on February 2, 2026, to develop a novel nanoparticle-based vaccine platform (AI-NANOVAX) to protect poultry from highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1.

The project will design and characterize H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4B HA and M2E antigen-based AI-NANOVAX formulations capable of extended-time release in a single dose, test safety in chickens, and delineate immune response and protective efficacy in both broiler and layer chickens against LPAI and HPAI challenge. The vaccine platform will be field-deployable, DIVA-compliant, and administered via spray for mass vaccination. Work is performed in Iowa under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), with a period of performance through February 1, 2029.

University of Wisconsin-Madison, through Dr. Adel Talaat's group, serves as sub-recipient (sub-award AP26VSSP0000C037-031180A, awarded March 3, 2026). UW-Madison will prepare vaccine constructs, immunize and challenge chickens with avian influenza viruses, and conduct virological, histological, and immunological evaluations at designated timepoints with support from Dr. Halfmann's group.

There is an urgent need to develop efficacious, easy-to-use, and cost-effective vaccines to protect chickens from HPAI H5N1 and other related outbreaks. Our team will design a plug and play, field-deployable, and diva-compliant avian influenza nanoparticle-based vaccine platform (called AI-nanovax) that will provide robust local and systemic protective immunity against HPAI H5N1 in vaccinated chickens. We will design and characterize H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4B HA and M2E antigen-based ainanovax in terms of its ability to provide extended-time release of the antigens in a single dose and test its safety in chickens. Next, we will delineate the immune response and protection induced by AI-nanovax in both broiler and layer chickens by identifying lead nanovax formulations that will protect chickens against lpai H5N1 and characterizing the breadth of the immune response induced against different avian influenza viruses. These results will be used to down-select a lead AI-nanovax that will be divacompliant and test its efficacy in chickens upon challenge with HPAI. The project will deliver a novel fielddeployable vaccine to protect poultry from HPAI and address a major unmet need in poultry health and commercial poultry premises. This will benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including poultry producers and farmers, animal health and food industries, and the general public at large. AI-nanovax technology could protect chickens against a large number of avian influenza pathotypes, increasing the value of the vaccine and reducing the need to update vaccine design. IT will be cost-effective and could be easily multiplexed to target other infectious diseases of poultry. AI-nanovax will be administered via spray, making this approach field-deployable for mass vaccination and conducive for the induction of robust local and systemic immunity. If successful, the long-lived protective immunity provided by AI-nanovax will help keep chickens healthy and productive, increase EGG supply, and reduce EGG prices. Our sub-awardee is university of wisconsin - they have BSL3 facilities and expertise on avian influenza vaccines.