LARAD, Inc. was established to develop virus-like-particle (VLP) platform technology specifically to construct vaccines and diagnostic reagents for animal diseases. With initial focus on products for food animals, subsequent products will focus on viral diseases in companion animals. VLPs are structurally analogous to viruses but do not contain any genetic material making them ideal vaccines because they cannot cause disease but still induce a strong immune response. LARADs VLP technology is most powerful when used to protect against viral diseases where the pathogen has a history of frequent mutations. The VLP vaccines can be rapidly re-engineered to keep pace with the viruses as they evolve. While conventional vaccines become less effective as viruses mutate, LARAD will be able to adapt its VLP vaccines to combat changing viruses. This customizability is a game-changing approach that has not been possible in the animal vaccine industry until now. VLPs can also be used as reagents in diagnostic kits that detect an animals response to a specific viral infection on which the VLP is based.
