Institute for Virology and Immunology
| Institute for Virology and Immunology | |
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| Headquarters |
Mittelhäuser BE and Bern Switzerland
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| Chief | Christian Griot |
| Website | www.ivi.admin.ch |
The Institute for Virology and Immunology ( IVI ; formerly Institute for Viral Diseases and Immunoprophylaxis ) ( French Institut de virologie et d'immunologie , Italian Istituto di virologia e di immunologia ) is a state research institution of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) in Switzerland which deals with the research and control of animal diseases .
history
In 1938, Switzerland was hit by a major epizootic of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which prompted the Federal Council and Parliament to set up a federal institution to combat animal diseases. The Federal Vaccine Institute was then opened in Basel on October 26, 1942 . This institute primarily developed and produced vaccines against FMD.
With the increasing safety requirements for laboratories dealing with FMD and other highly contagious viruses, the vaccine institute located directly at the Basel train station no longer complied with international standards. In 1992 the institute moved to Mittelhaeuser in the municipality of Köniz and adopted its current name. The buildings and stables built there specifically for the IVI meet the requirements of the highest biological protection level (4).
In 2014 the IVI was merged with the former Institute for Veterinary Virology IVV of the Vetsuisse Faculty Bern and now has two locations, Mittelhäusern and Bern.
In 2017 the construction of an additional administration building began and the existing institute in Mittelhauses was renovated. The national parliament approved a loan of CHF 35 million for this. The number of jobs remains at around 70 (2017).
organization
Diagnosis
The IVI is the national reference laboratory for the diagnosis of highly contagious animal diseases and other animal diseases caused by viruses that do not occur in Switzerland either . The focus is on the diagnosis of FMD, classic swine fever , avian influenza ("bird flu") and PRRS . The IVI uses either direct pathogen detection or serological methods for diagnosis .
development
The development department develops and tests new diagnostic methods for various animal diseases and develops them in cooperation with external companies until they are ready for the market. In addition, the IVI continuously checks and validates existing diagnostic methods.
research
The research department works together with the development department, among others. In its basic research, the IVI mainly deals with virological and immunological questions, in particular the interaction between viruses and hosts and virus evolution.
Research at the IVI is primarily financed by third-party funds, including from the National Fund and the FSVO, but also from EU funding programs and private companies.
Vaccine control
The Vaccine Control division is responsible for approving new vaccines and immune sera as well as for testing individual vaccine batches. Vaccine testing also includes testing the protective effect in animal experiments .
In addition, the department maintains a database of all immunological veterinary medicinal products approved in Switzerland and, in individual cases, also issues permits for the import and use of unauthorized products.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ IVI - Organization
- ↑ University and federal government merge institutes for veterinary virology . In: Berner Zeitung, Berner Zeitung . 2014, ISSN 1424-1021 ( bernerzeitung.ch [accessed October 29, 2017]).
- ↑ Institute for Virology and Immunology. September 22, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Nina-Lou Frey: 25-year-old high-security laboratory is being renovated . In: Berner Zeitung, Berner Zeitung . 2017, ISSN 1424-1021 ( bernerzeitung.ch [accessed October 29, 2017]).
- ↑ Nina-Lou Frey: 25-year-old high-security laboratory is being renovated . In: Berner Zeitung, Berner Zeitung . 2017, ISSN 1424-1021 ( bernerzeitung.ch [accessed October 29, 2017]).
- ↑ Research in the fields
- ↑ General information on research at the IVI
- ↑ Vaccine Control