BATON ROUGE - LSU professor Dr. Shafiqul Chowdhury is one of five innovators who will be receiving a Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award in Washington D.C on Sept. 18 and featured on the Bayh-Dole Coalition's "Faces of American Innovation" 2024 report.

He will be receiving the award for his creation of a vaccine that protects cattle from Bovine Respiratory Disease and other related illnesses. Chowdhury says he did not expect the recognition and is honored.

He also says $1 billion a year is lost in the U.S. due to cattle deaths. Right now, farmers are using a drug cocktail to help combat the disease.

"This technology that we developed is working because the virus is live. But it doesn't cause disease. It makes all of these proteins and antibodies that protect animals better," he said.

He also says that this vaccine doesn't only protect cattle but humans as well. People who work with cattle regularly have a higher chance of contracting Bovine Respiratory Disease, which can cause fever, lethargy and lack of appetite.

"By protecting cattle from that virus, you are actually protecting humans that are dealing with those cattle," he said.

It took 15 years for Chowdhury to develop the vaccine. It is now being tested by RTI Lab, a research organization based in South Dakota. The vaccine is estimated to save eight million calves a year. Chowdhury hopes that if approved, it can start the process of becoming USDA-approved. But he is not done. He's been contacted about making other vaccines, such as one for Avian Influenza. The CDC confirmed a human case of the virus in Missouri on Sept. 6.

"We can use this virus that I developed. Use proteins, put the gene coating with other viral proteins that can protect from that virus," he said.