New Partnership Aims to Revolutionize Animal Health Research

OXFORD, England & EDINBURGH, Scotland – March 18, 2026 – A landmark collaboration between biotechnology leader ProImmune and the University of Edinburgh’s world-renowned Roslin Institute is poised to break a long-standing impasse in veterinary science. By leveraging a novel class of synthetic binding proteins, the partnership aims to equip researchers with urgently needed tools to study diseases in livestock and aquatic species, a move with profound implications for global food security and the prevention of future pandemics.

The initiative directly confronts a critical shortage of high-quality, species-specific research reagents—the molecular probes essential for understanding how animal immune systems function and respond to infection. This gap has historically hampered progress in veterinary immunology, leaving scientists without the necessary tools to investigate diseases affecting key agricultural animals.

Overcoming a Decades-Old Research Bottleneck

For years, veterinary researchers have grappled with the so-called “reagent gap.” While human medical research benefits from a vast arsenal of sophisticated antibodies and molecular tools, the same cannot be said for the study of porcine, bovine, avian, and salmonid species. Traditional methods of creating these tools, often relying on animal immunization, are slow, costly, and frequently fail to produce reagents that are specific enough for reliable scientific study. This lack of precision can lead to inconsistent results and slow down the development of effective vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for costly animal diseases.

This challenge has been a significant barrier to advancing animal health. Professor Jayne Hope, Professor of Immunology at the Roslin Institute, articulated the problem in a recent statement. “A relative lack of research tools has hampered progress in veterinary immunology,” she said, underscoring the urgency of the new collaboration. The availability of new, reliable tools is expected to fill critical voids in the scientific toolkit.

The Roslin Institute, famous for its pioneering work in animal science, will leverage its deep expertise to identify the most critical protein targets for which reagents are currently unavailable. These are the molecular keys needed to unlock the secrets of diseases like avian influenza, African swine fever, and bovine tuberculosis.

Ankyrons: A New Class of Molecular Tools

At the heart of the collaboration is ProImmune’s proprietary Ankyron® technology. Ankyrons are not antibodies; they are a novel class of small, engineered binding proteins that offer a powerful alternative. Based on the ankyrin repeat protein scaffold found in nature, these synthetic binders are generated entirely in vitro using a massive library containing approximately a trillion variants. This animal-free process bypasses the ethical and technical limitations of traditional antibody production.

Compared to conventional antibodies, which are large (around 150 kDa) and complex, Ankyrons are tiny, at about one-tenth the size (~15 kDa). This small stature allows them to penetrate cells and tissues more effectively, enabling researchers to visualize molecular processes with greater clarity in applications like immunofluorescence imaging and flow cytometry. Their synthetic, sequence-defined nature also ensures exceptional batch-to-batch consistency, a crucial factor for reproducible science.

Perhaps most importantly, the in vitro selection process allows ProImmune to generate highly specific Ankyrons against targets that have proven difficult or impossible for antibody technology, including non-immunogenic proteins. The entire discovery process is remarkably rapid, with custom binders selectable in approximately eight weeks.

“This collaboration represents an important step toward the development of research tools which support sustainable farming, strengthen global food security, and improve the control of zoonotic diseases,” said Dr. Nikolai Schwabe, CEO of ProImmune. His statement highlights the project’s ambitious scope, extending far beyond the laboratory bench.

From Lab Bench to Global Health Security

The initiative’s impact is strategically aligned with the World Health Organization’s ‘One Health’ approach—a framework recognizing the deep interconnection between the health of people, animals, and the environment. By improving the fundamental understanding of animal diseases, the collaboration directly contributes to all three pillars of this global strategy.

First, it addresses the control of zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted from animals to humans and account for a majority of emerging infectious diseases. Better tools to study pathogens in their animal hosts are a critical first line of defense in preventing future pandemics.

Second, the work is vital for global food security. Healthier livestock and fish populations mean a more stable and sustainable food supply. By enabling research that leads to better disease management, the partnership helps protect a crucial source of nutrition for a growing global population.

Third, it supports sustainable farming by providing pathways to reduce reliance on antibiotics in agriculture. A deeper understanding of the animal immune system can lead to novel, non-antibiotic interventions, helping to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

A Model for Collaborative Innovation

The partnership structure itself represents a powerful model for accelerating scientific progress. It combines the technological prowess and rapid discovery platform of a commercial entity, ProImmune, with the deep biological expertise and public service mission of a leading academic institution, the Roslin Institute.

Crucially, the fruits of this collaboration will not be kept behind a proprietary wall. Data on the newly validated Ankyron binders will be made publicly available through the Immunological Toolbox website. This resource, a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded initiative between the Roslin and Pirbright Institutes, is dedicated to expanding the tools available to the entire veterinary immunology community.

By democratizing access to these cutting-edge reagents, the collaboration ensures that researchers worldwide can benefit, amplifying the project’s impact and accelerating discoveries across the field. This open-access approach fosters a more dynamic and collaborative research environment, where progress is not limited by access to essential tools.

The potential for this technology platform extends even further. ProImmune’s successful development of Ankyrons capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants demonstrates the platform's agility in responding to urgent public health crises. As this new collaboration gets underway, it is not merely filling gaps in the current research landscape; it is building a foundational capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to the animal and human health challenges of the future.