New Cryptosporidiosis treatments looked into

As part of the license agreement, Bayer will develop and commercialize novel compounds based on knowledge and intellectual property licensed by PTT from the University of Washington. Further terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Photo: Emmy Koeleman

One of the biggest unsolved parasite problems

Bayer Animal Health is focused on the development of innovative solutions for the most important health problems affecting dairy and beef cattle. “Cryptosporidiosis is considered one of the biggest unsolved parasite problems in dairy cattle. The license agreement with PTT will enable us to support farmers and veterinarians in tackling this health and well-being concern: early life diarrhoea caused by Cryptosporidium,” says Dr Douglas Hutchens, Bayer Animal Health’s Head of Drug Discovery, External Innovation & chief veterinary officer.

Highly infectious diarrhoea pathogen

The dairy and beef industry experience calf mortality rates in the range of 5 to 15%. Early life diarrhoea is very common and one of the main causes of death in young calves. Since Cryptosporidium is a highly infectious diarrhoea pathogen, the topic is high on the agenda of vets and farmers. “Today, Cryptosporidium is prevalent on 30 to 70% of the farms worldwide,” explains Dr Christina Mertens, Bayer Animal Health’s head of Dairy Innovation & Science Intelligence. “Therefore, the license agreement with PTT is a strong signal to our customers around the world: We are committed to helping farmers and vets fight one of the most important diseases in young calves by strengthening our research and development of novel treatment options against cryptosporidiosis.”

The University of Washington’s collaborative innovation hub, CoMotion, assisted PTT with patent filing and strategy, an Innovation Gap Fund grant, support for other funding and supported the company in licensing exclusive rights to the compound.