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Interphex 2016
For immediate release
HEAT AND CONTROL, INC.
21121 Cabot Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Phone (510) 259-0500 FAX (510) 259-0600
Contact: Bill Klein (not for publication)
Date: November 4, 2015
Page: 1 of 5
Innovative coating process
creates an appetite for Lyme disease vaccine pellets.
US BIOLOGIC targets mice with vaccine-coated snacks to prevent transmission
of Lyme disease.
The threat of zoonotic diseases can turn the most avid outdoor enthusiast into
a couch potato.
Lyme disease, Ebola, West Nile virus, malaria, and rabies are well-known zoonotic
diseases, maladies existing in animals that can be transmitted to humans. The Centers
for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) states that “more than 6 out of every 10
infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals.” Every year in the United
States, over 300,000 people acquire Lyme disease from tick bites. This is an insidious
disease causing severe damage to joints, neurologic disorders, and occasionally death.
“It’s scary and it keeps growing,” says Mason Kauffman, CEO of US BIOLOGIC. The
Memphis, TN based company has pioneered a method of delivering an oral vaccine for
Lyme disease to its animal source: the white-footed mouse.
“We break the supply chain for Lyme disease by vaccinating the mice through a
simple coated pellet,” explains Kauffman. “Mice are the reservoir of the Borrelia
burgdorferi bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Ticks get the bacteria from mice and
then pass it on to humans.” Kauffman says US BIOLOGIC is flipping this scenario to
make mice part of the disease prevention solution.
(more)
Interphex 2016
For immediate release
HEAT AND CONTROL, INC.
21121 Cabot Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Phone (510) 259-0500 FAX (510) 259-0600
Contact: Bill Klein (not for publication)
Date: November 4, 2015
Page: 2 of 5
Five years of CDC-sponsored field tests has proved this approach works. Mice
developed antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi after eating pellets coated with the vaccine.
In the final year of testing, this reduced tick infection by 76%, meaning fewer ticks could
infect humans with Lyme disease.
Working to obtain USDA approval for the vaccine, US BIOLOGIC faced the
challenge of developing and manufacturing the pellets in a form that would be
irresistible to mice, environmentally neutral, and hardy enough for distribution outdoors.
In collaboration with Purina Mills, US BIOLOGIC created a hard acorn-size pellet that
contains 100% natural products. “Our goal was to reduce the level of harmful bacteria
in the environment while not changing the environmental balance in any way,” says
Kauffman. “The coated pellet solution has exceeded all expectations.”
US BIOLOGIC wanted to apply two coatings on the pellets: the vaccine and a weatherresistant outer coating that would be appealing to mice. However, accurate and
simultaneous application of these coatings during mass production posed a problem.
“We care about speed and output,” explained Kauffman, “but more than anything we
want every pellet to be perfect.”
Company COO, Steve Zatechka, PhD, was responsible for developing a suitable
production process. He looked to the food processing industry for assistance and
contacted Heat and Control’s Spray Dynamics office.
(more)
Interphex 2016
For immediate release
HEAT AND CONTROL, INC.
21121 Cabot Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Phone (510) 259-0500 FAX (510) 259-0600
Contact: Bill Klein (not for publication)
Date: November 4, 2015
Page: 3 of 5
A leading manufacturer of applicators for wet and dry coatings, Spray Dynamics
invited Zatechka to its test facility in St. Claire, MO. “It was a good collaborative project
from the outset,” he recalls. “We brought samples of our pellets and coatings and
worked with their engineers to achieve the output and gentleness required for our
process. Although they had never built a machine for this type of application, Spray
Dynamics developed a centrifugal coater that is quite unique.”
“This was a fun and intellectually challenging project,” says Doug Hanify, Spray
Dynamics’ Director of Technology. “We typically apply coatings to food products and
also vitamins, and glazes to nutraceuticals,” he explains. “The US BIOLOGIC coatings
required much tighter specifications and control.”
In addition to being temperature sensitive, the liquid vaccine and encapsulation
coatings solidify when combined. Hanify says Spray Dynamics’ centrifugal batch coater
was customized to meet these requirements. In fact, the coating application is so
precise, it did not create special cleaning issues beyond the need for an automatic airpurge to keep the encapsulation liquid supply line clear. Rate check set-ups based on
pump speed and applicator timing were included to assure coating consistency for each
batch cycle.
“Spray Dynamics has been our key partner, helping us achieve the speed, quality,
and efficiency we need,” says Kauffman. “Together, we’re entering a new world of
disease protection.”
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Interphex 2016
For immediate release
HEAT AND CONTROL, INC.
21121 Cabot Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Phone (510) 259-0500 FAX (510) 259-0600
Contact: Bill Klein (not for publication)
Date: November 4, 2015
Page: 4 of 5
(Photo captions)
Spray Dynamics developed a special centrifugal coating applicator for
U.S. Biologic. CEO, Mason Kauffman (left) and COO, Steve Zatechka (right).
(more)
Interphex 2016
For immediate release
HEAT AND CONTROL, INC.
21121 Cabot Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545
Phone (510) 259-0500 FAX (510) 259-0600
Contact: Bill Klein (not for publication)
Date: November 4, 2015
Page: 5 of 5
Coating parameters are controlled from a simple touch screen.
Coated pellets are eaten by mice, preventing the spread of Lyme disease to ticks,
and ultimately to humans.
(end)