First Research Project Funded With Project KHV Contributions

On September 9, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Associated Koi Clubs of America (AKCA) voted to accept the recommendation of Project KHV’s Steering committee to fund a research project (Development of a Plasmid Vaccine and a Subunit Vaccine for Koi Herpesvirus) being conducted at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine.  The advisor and principal investigator on the project is Jay Levine, DVM, MPH and the co-investigator is Raghunath Shivappa, PhD.  The project seeks to identify two different koi herpesvirus (KHV) vaccines (using different delivery modalities). If the research is successful, it is anticipated that a licensee will ultimately be identified to bring one or both of the new vaccines to market.  This project has produced the trial vaccines and they are ready for testing.  This is only the first phase of a development sequence necessary to ultimately prepare a vaccine for wide-spread distribution, a goal which is likely still years away.

AKCA and the Project KHV team is particularly gratified by this development as NCSU-CVM is world renowned in fish medicine and boasts faculty that includes many authors of well known books on fish medicine, e.g., Edward Noga, MS, DVM (Fish Disease, Diagnosis and Treatment); Michael Stoskopf, DVM, PhD (Fish Medicine); Greg Lewbart, MS, VMD (Self-Assessment Colour Review of Ornamental Fish), and many others well known in the world of fish health and medicine, e.g., Craig Harms, DVM, PhD and Michael Swanson, DVM.

In order to insure Project KHV funds are spent prudently, the AKCA has adopted a policy that no administrative costs may be paid from grant monies. Additionally, Project KHV will review the progress of any funded KHV research vs. the program’s research objectives and schedule.  

This was Project KHV’s first funded project.  The Project continues to seek opportunities to fund additional targeted KHV programs that give the best chance to identify and deliver short-term control and prevention and longer-term eradication of KHV. 

April 2006 - update

NC State subsequently obtained a large government grant that included money for the vaccine program funded earlier by Project KHV.  The researchers there know how little money we have to “spread around” and have returned our funds.  We appreciate their integrity.  The further good news is that the vaccine program is progressing and the return of our funds did not and will not negatively affect the outcome.

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