VIDO Director Honored with Industry Leadership Award

Posted June 20, 2003


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 20/2003 2003-06-08-VIDO

VIDO Director Honored with Industry Leadership Award

University of Saskatchewan researcher Lorne Babiuk has received the Industry
Leadership Award from the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), the trade
association representing companies that develop and manufacture animal
health products in Canada.

The award is presented annually by CAHI to an individual or association that
has demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment and accomplishments in
the field of animal health in Canada. Candidates must be nominated by a CAHI
member.

Babiuk, director of the U of S Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
(VIDO), was recognized for his 30-year commitment to animal health. VIDO
developed the world's first genetically engineered vaccine for animal
species.

An international authority in veterinary virology and immunology, Babiuk has
had a profound impact on both the Canadian and international animal health
community. His current focus is on vaccine design and new vaccination
strategies for both animal and human health.

Babiuk, holder of a Canada Research Chair in Vaccinology and Biotechnology,
has played an integral role in transforming VIDO from a small team of
pioneers in veterinary biotechnology to a world-class research centre for
vaccine development. He has recently teamed up with University of British
Columbia and two corporate partners to lead a $27-million national genomics
project -- funded by Genome Canada through Genome Prairie -- that will help
fight infectious diseases.

He has published more than 390 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 70 book
chapters or review articles. He also holds 18 patents and has another 14
pending.

Babiuk stresses the importance of collaboration on animal health issues. "We
can continue to improve the health and welfare of our animals through novel
approaches and, more importantly, by working together to achieve much more
than we can by working in isolation," he says.

Babiuk is the third U of S researcher to receive this award. The two
previous U of S recipients, both from the Western College of Veterinary
Medicine, are Otto Radostits and Reuben Mapletoft.

Further details about the Industry Leadership Award are available at
www.cahi-icsa.ca.

Information about VIDO is available at http://www.vido.org.

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For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research