California-based pet pharmaceutical company at the intersection of biotech, AI, software, and veterinary medicine Anivive Lifesciences Inc announced on Friday that it has received a new contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support the development of a vaccine against the fungus Coccidioides, which causes Valley Fever.

The contract is valued at up to USD33m.

Contract funding aims to utilize the underlying science in Anivive's animal health Valley Fever vaccine for dogs, currently under review by USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics, to develop a similar vaccine for humans. The funding will address IND-enabling activities, including additional manufacturing, formulation, extensive safety testing, and an IND submission, before then completing a human Phase 1 clinical trial.

Dr Edward Robb, Anivive Lifesciences chief strategy officer and principal investigator, said, 'Anivive is honoured to receive this NIAID contract, which will greatly accelerate our efforts to commercialise a vaccine to protect people against Valley Fever. This collaborative effort has delivered a significant step forward in the field of vaccinology and holds the potential to be the first vaccine to prevent a serious systemic fungal infection common to humans and animals.'