DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — September 28, 2023 — BioStone Animal Health is pleased to announce that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded a Phase I SBIR grant to investigate and develop diagnostics for Avian Influenza. The awarded project is entitled “An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay To Detect Antibodies Against Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) Subtype H5 And H7 In Commercial Poultry”
Our project aims to develop diagnostic tools to identify poultry that have been infected with highly pathogenic subtypes of avian influenza virus (AIV). Highly pathogenic AIV (HPAI) subtypes pose a significant threat to poultry in the U.S. and other countries in North American, Europe, and Asia. Historically, HPAI outbreaks have included the AIV subtypes H5 or H7, which have been responsible for major losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Currently, the methods to identify AIV subtypes H5 and H7 are limited, and there are not USDA-approved serological ELISA tests on the market for subtype identification. However, this grant will support our work to develop and validate competitive ELISA (cELISA) tests that improve serological surveillance of AIV subtypes for biosecurity and the poultry industry. We have teamed up with an AIV reference laboratory that is recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), formerly known as the OIE. Validation to support USDA product licensure of the H5 and H7 cELISAs is expected to be in 2024.
About BioStone Animal Health — BioStone Animal Health is a Dallas, TX-based biotechnology company that provides innovative solutions for animal health. BioStone Animal Health works together with our worldwide partners to offer a portfolio of animal disease diagnostic products as well as test kits and reagents for vaccine testing that enables performing a rapid evaluation of the efficacies, stability, consistency, and potency of common animal vaccines. By making these test kits available to the international community, BioStone strives to actively promote and participate in global animal health initiatives. For more information about BioStone Animal Health, visit www.biostoneah.com
