Researchers Explore Safe African Swine Fever Vaccine Solutions

Aug 21, 2023

A new grant at Kansas State University will explore ways to help protect global food supplies through the development of vaccines to protect swine from infectious diseases. Juergen Richt, regents distinguished professor and university distinguished professor in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading the project focused on African swine fever virus, a lethal disease in both wild and domestic pigs.

The grant is funded for a three-year period by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, or AFRI.

According to Richt, all attempts to develop safe vaccines capable of protecting against the infection and the disease have been largely unsuccessful.

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Video: Validating Net Energy in Commercial Swine Systems - Gustavo Lima

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate at Iowa State University, explains how soybean meal net energy is evaluated using growth assays and calorimetry. He discusses caloric efficiency, validation under commercial conditions, and differences between controlled and real-world environments. Gustavo also highlights practical implications for diet formulation and ingredient valuation. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Indirect calorimetry provides a precise estimation of ingredient energy, yet validation under production conditions remains essential for accurate application in real systems.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, specializing in swine nutrition, ingredient evaluation, and energy metabolism. With over 15 years of experience across Latin America, his work focuses on soybean meal utilization, caloric efficiency, and applied research for commercial production systems.