Overview
Sirrah Bios is developing vaccine technology for both prophylaxis and prevention of infectious diseases of swine. The advanced molecular approaches used by Sirrah Bios feature vaccines which differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) using unique subunit proteins.
Sirrah Bios is an organization focused on improving the health and productivity of pigs. Our goal is to provide novel vaccines for diseases which increase the cost of producing pigs and are difficult to control with available technology. Current priorities are Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), Porcine Circovirus (PCV-2), and Swine Influenza Virus (SIV), some of the costliest diseases to the industry. There are over 6 million sows in the U. S., producing over 100 million grower-finisher pigs per year. These diseases can reduce profits by $10-15 per pig making the need for safe, effective vaccines at an all time high.
Sirrah Bios is developing vaccines for PRRSV, PCV-2, and SIV utilizing vector-based and subunit approaches which are not used in traditional vaccines. The research to develop these patent-pending vaccines has been funded by grants to Iowa State University totaling over U. S. $1M. Sirrah Bios is exclusively licensed by the ISU Research Foundation to manufacture and distribute vaccines using this technology.
Sirrah Bios was founded in 2005 by Dr. D. L. (Hank) Harris, who is one of the world’s leading authorities on infectious diseases of swine. The Sirrah Bios management team is composed of Hank Harris, Founder; Matt Erdman, CTO; Jerry McVicker, COO; Stuart Oxer, CFO; and Margaret Prahl, Legal.
Along with several highly qualified consultants and advisors, the Sirrah Bios team relies on a diversified group of individuals with extensive experience in animal health, agribusiness, animal genetics and a combination of technical and business skills.