A team of international scientists, led by The Pirbright Institute, have made a significant advancement in understanding the deadliest strain of African swine fever virus (ASFV), which poses a threat to global pig farming and food security. The research, published in mBio, details a strategy to create a safer modified live vaccine by reducing its blood persistence without diminishing its immune response. The study targets the EP402R gene of ASFV, which encodes the CD2v glycoprotein, essential for the virus's red blood cell binding and transmission. By utilizing advanced protein modeling and mutagenesis techniques, the team identified specific amino acids involved in this interaction, leading to the creation of a mutant virus that can no longer bind to red blood cells but still triggers a strong immune response in pigs. This finding is a crucial step towards developing safer and more effective modified live vaccines against ASFV, with potential applications for other virus strains.