Page 10 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2023

RVC RESEARCH STUDY VETERINARY SERVICES RVC.AC.UK
Vaccine delivery

3D PRINTED CALF HEAD MODEL TO ASSESS
DISPERSAL OF INTRANASAL VACCINE

Dirk Werling, Professor of Molecular Immunology

ntranasal vaccination is an increasingly research by combining biomechanics, location especially important for the cattle
used practice in humans, as well as molecular immunology, and veterinary vaccination process.
I farmed species. Pioneering research at diagnostic imaging. Thus, this project aimed to give insight
the RVC studied the dispersal of intranasal It is part of a research project of Veterinary into the structure of the bovine nasal cavity
vaccine in calves. Medicine undergraduate Macy Glen, who and how the structures present affect nasal
Most pathogens invade the host via the won an Association of Veterinary Teaching vaccination. Not only did the project look
mucosal surfaces, where they start their and Research Work (AVTRW) Golden at these structures but also at how the
initial replication – and thus predispose Jubilee Award, under the supervision of deposition of the vaccine is affected by the
the tissue, and subsequently the animal, myself, Dr Dagmar Berger, Senior Lecturer angle of the head during delivery.
for secondary infections and more severe for Equine Diagnostic Imaging, and Richard
disease. Bomphrey, Professor of Comparative Interdisciplinary cooperation
Even though the nasal cavity geometry Biomechanics. The study was only possible through
is potentially critical for vaccine efficacy, the The study of anatomical structures often interdisciplinary cooperation between the
anatomical structure is relatively unstudied requires the use of live animals, which can distinctly different fields of biomechanics,
in this context. Therefore the researchers be problematic due to concerns over ethics immunology, and diagnostic imaging
aimed to assess the size of the mucosal and repeatability, as vaccines cannot be The project was facilitated by innovative
surface and the volume of each of the nares removed again once applied. imaging technology that used a semi-
(nostrils) in the nasal cavity. Using a 3D printed physical models will automatic approach to modelling the calf's
The innovative project makes use of allow researchers to remove (or at least head prior to 3D printing, and indeed, no
state-of-the-art imaging and 3D printing reduce the number of) animals necessary animals were used specifically for this
technology to reduce the number of for optimising vaccine compositions. project, although the initial CT scans were
animals used in research to investigate Starting this study, it was unclear if the from cadavers.
improvements in immunisation techniques. models would be accurate enough to be
Heads from cadavers were CT-scanned a suitable substitute for vaccine testing in Findings
and the scans used to reconstruct a digital animals. The project resulted in multiple important
model that was subsequently 3D printed. The motivation for the study was findings, which could bring changes to
The resulting model was used, next to the multifaceted. First of all, there are no the practice of nasal vaccination, and
original cadaver head, to apply a radiopaque studies on ruminant animals that use experiments that are based on living
vaccine. Both heads were CT scanned 3D-printed models to assess vaccine structures. It showed that semi-automated
again to assess nasal vaccine distribution. delivery. This project took a first step in this segmentation can produce 3D-printed
The projects spearhead interdisciplinary new direction. Second, the nasal cavity is a models that are similar enough to real-life
structures to be viable for experiments that
RVC Veterinary student Macy Glen, pictured with the 3D-printed model of the calf head would normally be done on living organisms.
The study also revealed that nasal
vaccination only covers a small percentage
of the mucosal surface of the nares, and
the surface covered can be altered through
changes in the elevation of the head.
Research projects such as this pave the
way for future innovative, interdisciplinary
research. It offers ideas as to how to
exclude animal testing in the future and how
to work together as a coherent unit between
disciplines to facilitate exciting research.
This also paves the way for future research
into more effective nasal vaccination, for
example for new applicators or techniques.

For small animal referrals, please call:
01707 666399
Email:
qmhreception@rvc.ac.uk

10 Summer 2023