Poultry Productivity Enhancer

Imugene is developing a cytokine-based productivity enhancer delivered by the Fowl Adenoviral Vector.

When administered, a harmless adenovirus infection results in the production of a natural component of the immune system, a cytokine known as gamma interferon. Gamma interferon acts to boost the immune system resulting in increased resistance to a range of bacterial and viral infections. Increased protection against these infections improves growth rates, reduces mortality and improves feed conversion ratios, thereby reducing the cost of production.

Patents for the Fowl Adenoviral Vector have been granted in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

 

Competitive advantages over antibiotics and other treatments

  • Enhanced poultry growth, weight gain and improved feed conversion rates.
  • In-feed antibiotics are only effective against bacterial diseases and do not provide any protection against viral diseases, whereas Imugene’s vaccine improves immune protection against both.
  • Imugene’s vaccine significantly lowers producers’ production costs, by allowing market weight to be achieved in less time, and lowering feed costs.
  • Imugene’s products are biological (non-chemical) and are residue free, satisfying consumers’ increasing demands for antibiotic and chemical free chickens.

Poultry Products marketA large and expanding global market

There are over 48 billion broilers produced each year around the world. In the major markets of the US and Europe, annual broiler production is over nine billion and 6.8 billion respectively.

The commercial broiler industry involves the intensive confined rearing of tens of thousands of birds in large sheds, which presents major health management challenges for producers. Profit margins are highly dependant on production efficiency. This efficiency is in turn dependent on the number of birds surviving to marketable age, the corresponding rate of weight gain, feed conversion ratios and cost of treatments to either prevent or reduce disease or to promote healthy growth.

Europe has banned the use of antibiotics in animal feed and the US is under pressure to follow. The Poultry Productivity Enhancer vaccine will be sold across global poultry markets for use both with in-feed antibiotics and following their withdrawal. The product is ideally positioned to move into this expanding market.