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Pirbight's Plowright building from afar with wild plants in front

15 November 2024

Pirbright welcomes two successful Doctoral Landscape Awards in life and environmental sciences

The Pirbright Institute is celebrating two major doctoral training initiatives funded by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), each offering unique opportunities for the next generation of scientists. These programmes…

Close up of a pipette tip in a well of gel electrophoresis. Blue liquid is visible in the wells.

14 November 2024

Nurturing emerging leaders in science

Two talented Pirbright researchers have been awarded with Strategic Career Development Awards (SCDAs) to advance their research and career trajectories. Dr Rory Fortes de Brito, a Senior Postdoctoral researcher in the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Immunology group and Dr Lidia…

Latest news

Priscilla Tng

Meet Pirbright’s new BBSRC Fellow

Vaccinology specialist Dr Priscilla Tng is one of 15 promising UK researchers to have been awarded a Fellowship by UK Research and Innovation’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). A BBSRC Discovery Fellow in the African Swine Fever Vaccinology group at The Pirbright…

Pioneering partnership to improve swine health

The Pirbright Institute is partnering with researchers at The Vaccine Group (TVG) in Plymouth on a new project that sets out to control African swine fever (ASF). Pirbright researchers are collaborating with TVG to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against the deadly…

African swine fever – what is the current situation?

African swine fever is a highly contagious disease caused by the African swine fever virus. It infects both domestic and wild pigs and has a case fatality rate of up to 100%. There have been outbreaks in Europe in recent years, with the latest near the French border in Germany, bringing this disease…

A pig in straw and a calf running in a field

Pirbright scientists will progress pig and cattle health through two projects worth €3.5 million

Two projects coordinated by researchers at The Pirbright Institute designed to improve pig and cattle health have been successfully fully funded with a total of €3.5 million. The research aims to tackle three important livestock viruses – bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) in cattle, and…

African swine fever virus factory showing virus particles forming in red.

01 February 2021

Stunning images allow Pirbright scientists to unpick the secrets of African swine fever viral replication

Transmission electron microscope image of a viral factory showing new virions amongst dense protein/membrane accumulationsDeveloping effective vaccines and treatments against African swine fever virus (ASFV), which kills up to 100 percent of the pigs it infects, has been difficult owing to the virus…

Female pig in hay inside

Pirbright African swine fever vaccine protects 100% of pigs from developing severe disease

Scientists from The Pirbright Institute are a step closer in the race to develop a vital vaccine for African swine fever (ASF). In their recent trial, published in Vaccines, 100 percent of pigs immunised with the new vaccine survived a lethal dose of ASF virus. ASF causes fever, loss of appetite…

pigs sleeping ASF african swine fever Pirbright

How Pirbright is working to protect our pigs against African swine fever and what you can do to help

African swine fever (ASF) is a deadly disease of pigs and wild boar, it does not affect people. ASF is currently threatening the world’s pig population. Separate outbreaks are decimating pig herds across Africa, Europe and Asia, with official figures from the the Food and Agriculture Organization of…

A cell infected by African swine fever virus

Pirbright study identifies African swine fever virus proteins for vaccine development

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have identified African swine fever virus (ASFV) proteins that can trigger an immune response in pigs. The team hopes to develop a vaccine using these proteins that is capable of protecting against the deadly disease. Published in Frontiers in Immunology, the…

pig lying in hay pirbright

Pirbright scientists help combat African swine fever - a disease with no vaccine

African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread throughout eastern and central Europe, and China has now recorded its first outbreak. China is home to over half the world’s pig population (around 500 million pigs) so any potential spread throughout China and neighbouring countries would be devastating…