Vetmeduni reference number: EM119

Honey bees are of great importance to the global economy, far surpassing their contribution in terms of honey production, but also production of wax, royal jelly or propolis. Research has identified several viral pathogens of honeybees that are transmitted by Varroa mites, including the deformed wing virus (DWV). The DWV is so called because the virus causes the appearence of honeybees with characteristic wing deformities together with other developmental defects such as abdominal stunting within bee colonies. Varroa mite infestation and accompanying DWV infections are the major cause for colony death in Europe and North America.

Vetmeduni scientists developed a recombinant deformed wing virus (DWV) vector comprising a heterologous nucleotide sequence. The transgenic DWV-GFP was used as a research tool to directly study the virus spread in bee cell culture and infected bees. The vector offers the possibility for the development of bee vaccines expressing single chain antibodies (scFv), miticide protein or iRNA Varroa mites. The vector is also suitable as a production platform for recombinant proteins in bee pupae. The European patent application was filed.

Patent application WO2019063789

Technology offer

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology. In particular, our researches would be interested to start a research program for Varroa mite target identification for the development of miticide viruses.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM079

Adenoviral gizzard erosion, characterized by erosion and ablation of the koilin layer and inflammation of the gizzard mucosa, commonly affects broiler chickens between one and four weeks of age. Field outbreaks may cause economic losses due to growth retardation, poor end weights and overall reduced performance (Grafl et al., Avian Pathol. 41 (2012), 599-604).

Vetmeduni scientists developed vaccines for use in preventing adenoviral gizzard erosion in poultry, especially in broilers. Vaccine comprising an apathogenic strain of the Fowl Adenovirus Serotype A (FAdV-A), especially CELO (GenBank accession no: U46933) and/or Ote. The European patent application was filed.

Patent application WO2015024673

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM100

During the birth, the mortality rate of calves lies between 5%-10%. Besides this negative impact on the economics of the dairy farm, increased losses are unacceptable from an ethical, socio-political and animal welfare point of view.

Vetmeduni team developed the hoof cover enables to monitor wirelessly and non-invasively oxygen saturation and heart rate in bovine fetus during labor using commercially available sensors. The device comprises a sensor for measuring the at least one vital parameter, including the oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin and/or the pulse (heart) rate, of the animal fetus. The method comprises the steps of attaching a sensor for measuring the at least one vital parameter, including the oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin and/or the pulse (heart) rate, to the animal fetus and measuring the at least one vital parameter of the animal fetus using the attached sensor. The device and method are applicable at least to the bovine and/or equine fetus; in particular the device and method are applicable to cattle, horse, sheep, goat and alpaca.

The European patent application was filed.

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM126

Vetmeduni team developed a small wearable remote controlled infusion pump (prototype available) for controlling the recovery phase in large animal anaesthesia, in particular for horses. The novel drive mechanism uses standard syringes and can be easily miniaturized. The European patent application was filed in 2019.

The European patent application was filed. 

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM109

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which there is gradual loss of kidney function over a period of months of years. CKD is an important public health problem associated with number of serious complications, including increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, anemia and metabolic bone disease. The most common causes for developing CKD are diabetes, high blood pressure and genetic predisposition, which are responsible for about two-thirds of the cases. Early stages of CKD often remain undiagnosed due to patients being asymptomatic. Early detection and treatment of CKD however is vital to prevent progression of renal function decline to reduce sequelae such as cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

Over the last decade, substantial evidence has been accumulated regarding the role of high circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) as a predictor of adverse outcome in patients with CKD all stages. Vetmeduni team found that WNK signaling inhibitors, in particular closantel can be used in the prevention and treatment of disorders caused and/or characterized by elevated levels of serum fibroblast growth factor (FGF23), especially CKD. The European patent application was filed. The invention also provides pharmaceutical composition comprising one/or more WNK signaling inhibitors and methods for use said pharmaceutical compositions in the treatment of subjects diagnosed with FGF23-associated disorders, wherein subjects may be humans and/or companion animals.

Patent application WO2018210449

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM110

Injuries, degenerative and/or inflammatory conditions affect a wide variety of adult tissues, leading to scar tissue with impaired biomechanical function and chronic pain in approximately one out of eight adults.

Vetmeduni Vienna team with BOKU and University of Vienna developed products useful in the therapy of musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis, and/or of reperfusion injury, wounds or inflammatory disease and methods for their production.

Patent application WO2019219830

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM132

BiMM Team identified Anthrotainin as an antibiotic to combat multiresistant bacteria.

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Vetmeduni reference number: EM094 

Chicken is a highly perishable meat product. Freezing and frozen storage of chicken and other meat products is a common practice used in the striving global meat export industry, which is currently worth more than 13 billion USD. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, freezing of poultry can extend the practical storage life to up to two years. However, freezing and thawing negatively affects the sensory profile and therefore the quality of meat through formation of ice crystals, oxidation of lipids and degradation of proteins, reduced tenderness, and reduced water holding capacity. The impaired quality of frozen/thawed chicken and the resulting impact on marketability is also reflected in lower pricing. In December 2014, the EU implemented a new regulation specifying that frozen/thawed products have to be labeled "defrosted", as safety, taste and the physical quality of food items - in particular meat - can be affected. However, fresh and frozen/thawed chicken meat are virtually indistinguishable. In addition, the currently available testing methods for differentiation of fresh and frozen/thawed chicken are laborious, time consuming, and cost intensive. Consequently, retailers often rely on information provided by sub-contractors, which bears the risk of mislabeling and its negative impact on the consumers' repurchase behavior. Therefore, a novel high-throughput tool suited for reliable differentiation of fresh and frozen/thawed chicken is urgently needed.

Vetmeduni team with the University of Zurich developed such tool. Teams developed a method for analysing a meat sample, wherein the method comprises providing a meat sample, and obtaining a liquid sample from the meat sample, measuring a sample optical value of the liquid sample in a spectral range of 4000 cm -1 to 400 cm -1 in a spectroscopy step, determining, in a comparison step, particularly in a computing step, a similarity value by comparing the sample optical value to at least one control optical value obtained from at least one control sample, wherein the control sample has been prepared from fresh meat, and/or from frozen and thawed meat, and assigning the meat sample to "fresh meat" or "frozen and thawed meat" based on the similarity value. The European patent application was filed.

Patent application WO2017021253

Vetmeduni reference number: EM133

Delivery of CRISPR/Cas RNA-guided endonucleases (RGEN) still poses a major challenge, limiting the scope and scalability of the RGEN systems. Lipofection, 10 electroporation, nucleofection and virus-based techniques are widely used to deliver Cas9/sgRNA expression cassettes to recipient cells. As the DNA delivery methods suffer from undesired side effects such as limited cell-type specificity, integration into undesired chromosomal locations, immunogenicity, size-constrained packaging of expression cassettes (payload limit for AAV ≤4.7 kb) and increased off-targeting 15 resulting from a sustained expression, the field has moved towards direct delivery of pre-assembled Cas9 protein/sgRNA complexes (RNPs) to cells (1,2).

Vetmeduni invention provides an efficient, target-specific and safe delivery system that is virtually unlimited regarding the choice of target cell and capable of delivering CRISPR enzyme to non-dividing cells. 

Patent application WO2020225287

1 Zuris, J. A. et al. Cationic lipid-mediated delivery of proteins enables efficient protein-based genome editing in vitro and in vivo. Nat Biotechnol 33, 73-80,
doi:10.1038/nbt.3081 (2015).
2 Kim, S., Kim, D., Cho, S. W., Kim, J. & Kim, J. S. Highly efficient RNA-guided 5genome editing in human cells via delivery of purified Cas9 ribonucleoproteins.
Genome Res 24, 1012-1019, doi:10.1101/gr.171322.113 (2014).

We are currently looking for licensing partners and/or co-operation partners to further develop this technology.

Cell line
CLBL1 canine lymphoma cell line    

Originator / Contact
Barbara Rütgen

Description / Technology Offer 
SIP002

Cell line
Transgenic NCR1-iCRE Mice

Originator / Contact
Veronika Sexl

Description / Technology Offer 
SIP005

Vetmeduni reference number: EM157