Projects resulting from ERA-NET calls are European collaborative projects, co-financed by national research funding agencies, including the National Research Agency (ANR) for France, and by the European Commission. They aim to coordinate national research and development programs, in particular for the launch of calls for international projects.
The aim of the first ERA-NET ICRAD (International coordination of research on infectious animal diseases) call for projects was to fund multidisciplinary research projects on the main animal epidemics, such as African swine fever or influenza. The projects involve at least three organizations from three different countries involved in the call for projects. The selected projects were announced at the end of November. Of the 19 projects selected, four are coordinated by ANSES:
- the PIGIE project (Understanding the dynamics and evolution of swine influenza viruses in Europe: relevance for improved intervention and sustainable pig production): it will study recurrent influenza infections in pig farms. The aim is in particular to determine the factors favoring this recurrence and to propose measures to curb it;
- the FMDV_PersIstOmics project (From proteogenomic host response signatures of persistent foot-and-mouth disease virus infection to diagnostic markers and therapeutic control): it will focus on persistent foot-and-mouth disease virus infections in ruminants. Its aim is to determine the molecular mechanisms allowing the establishment and maintenance of the virus, in order to improve the diagnosis of asymptomatic carrier animals and to develop therapeutic tools;
- the MUSECoV project (Multi-scale eco-evolution of coronaviruses: from surveillance toward emergence prediction): it aims to better understand the diversity of coronavirus strains circulating in animal populations, including SARS-CoV2, responsible for Covid-19. The objective is to better understand the dynamics of coronavirus infections in various animal populations and therefore to rapidly detect the emergence of particularly pathogenic variants;
- the ASFVInt project (Decoding a virus Achilles heel: the African swine fever virus interactome): he is interested in African swine fever. It aims to better understand the molecular interactions between the virus and the pig, with the aim of developing new antiviral solutions or vaccines.
ANSES is also taking part in a fifth project, coordinated by the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom: the NEOVACC (Novel strategies to enhance vaccine immunity in neonatal livestock), which aims to develop vaccination strategies adapted to newborn calves and piglets. Vaccination of young animals is indeed complicated by the presence of antibodies inherited from the mother.