$19.2 Million Awarded to U of S to Help Build International Vaccine Centre

Posted March 08, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 9:30 a.m. March 8th, 2004 2004-03-10-OTHER

$19.2 Million Awarded to U of S to Help Build International Vaccine Centre

A $61.8-million International Vaccine Centre (INTERVAC) dedicated to
protecting human and animal health from the threat of emerging diseases was
given the green light today at the University of Saskatchewan.

U of S President Peter MacKinnon welcomed the announcement that the Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will contribute $19.2 million toward
construction of INTERVAC, to be owned and operated by the U of S. The
remaining funding will be sought from government and other sources.

"Thanks to the vision of VIDO director Lorne Babiuk and the support of our
partners, INTERVAC will contribute significant health and economic benefits
to the city and the region," said MacKinnon. "This state-of-the-art facility
will be a leader in research into emerging diseases. It will advance health,
veterinary and life sciences research on campus and help to retain and
attract high-calibre scientists."

INTERVAC, which will open in 2008 or 2009, will include the province's first
Level 3 laboratories dealing with human and animal diseases. The highly
secure facility will enable researchers to better respond to emerging
diseases such as SARS, avian influenza ("bird flu"), and West Nile virus.

Internationally, diseases are classified at different levels, depending on
the seriousness of the infection. Level 1 does not cause any infection, and
Level 2 diseases may infect animals or humans but without serious effects.
Level 3 diseases, such as BSE, SARS, hepatitis C, influenza and tuberculosis
(TB), have a greater potential to cause more serious infections. Level 4
organisms cause extremely serious diseases in animals and humans.

The facility is a collaboration between the university's Vaccine and
Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), the College of Medicine, and the
Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). It will build on three
decades of VIDO's expertise in vaccine research and development.

The new facility will enable the U of S to stay competitive as a modern
health research centre. It will permit advanced research into Level 3
viruses and other pathogens that are a danger to human and animal health. It
will also enable testing of vaccines and methods of delivering vaccines.

"The Government of Canada created the CFI for days like today. These
projects illustrate how Canadians from across our country work together to
push the leading edge of research and development," said Ralph Goodale,
federal Minister of Finance and MP for Wascana. "It is equally important to
recognize that leading-edge research and development happens right here in
Saskatchewan."

"We can say with conviction that Canada is becoming a place where
world-class researchers want to be," said CFI president David Strangway.
"This CFI investment will further develop Canada's global reputation as a
place where outstanding research and training is being conducted."

VIDO director Lorne Babiuk noted that without access to a Level 3 lab,
Saskatchewan researchers have had to test a SARS vaccine in the U.S.
"INTERVAC will allow Canada to be an international leader in infectious
disease research," he said. "It will also provide an excellent training
environment for graduate and post-doctoral students and will be an economic
driver for commercialization of U of S research."

"INTERVAC is going to allow tremendous research collaborations involving the
two user colleges and VIDO," said Jim Thornhill, U of S associate dean of
medicine. "This will expand on research in infectious diseases immensely."

WCVM dean Chuck Rhodes said, "Our college has always had a strong emphasis
on infectious disease research and this new tool will be invaluable in
supporting our overall research program."

INTERVAC will be built to meet or exceed the most stringent national and
international standards for biological security and containment. Once the
lab is constructed, it must be federally certified in order to operate. To
protect workers, the community and the environment, the facility will be
monitored and regulated by the university's department of health, safety and
environment, as well as by federal authorities.

Operating costs will be covered by user fees and the university. The CFI
will contribute to operating costs for the first five years.

The U of S envisages a variety of partners and users of INTERVAC, including
VIDO, the U of S colleges of medicine and veterinary medicine, the Saskatoon
Health Region, Health Canada, the International Vaccine Institute in Korea,
and the National Institute of Health in the U.S. There are also potential
research collaborations with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

INTERVAC will have spin-off economic benefits for the university, the city
and the province. There will be construction jobs plus about 20 new, highly
skilled jobs when the facility opens.

The facility will have two main floors for animals and laboratories, and two
in-between floors permitting safe and easy access to services.

There are nearly 90 Level 3 labs either operational or in the works in
Canada. Many are small facilities attached to provincial health departments
or medical schools. Two small Level 3 labs were built at the U of S Health
Sciences complex in the late 1980s for isolation of HIV and some HIV
research. Neither lab is currently functioning.

Under its Innovation Fund Program, the CFI provides up to 40 per cent of
capital costs and the remaining 60 per cent must be sought from other
sources.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation
created in 1997 by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure.
The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the ability of Canadian universities,
colleges, research hospitals, and other non-profit institutions to carry out
world-class research and technology development that will benefit Canadians.


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For more information, contact:

Kathryn Warden
Research Communications
Office of the Vice-President Research
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
http://www.usask.ca/research

Tess Laidlaw
Communications, VIDO
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1506
http://www.vido.org

Valerie Poulin
Coordinator, Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
(613) 996-3160
http://www.innovation.ca


FAST FACTS ON INTERVAC
DID YOU KNOW?

- The U of S International Vaccine Centre, INTERVAC, is a $61.8-million
facility to be built on campus. It will save lives and money by responding
to emerging diseases threatening humans and animals. Researchers will
develop and test new vaccines and methods of delivering vaccines.

- The need for research on infectious diseases of animals is underscored by
the estimate that 50 per cent of all human infectious diseases and 79 per
cent of all new or emerging diseases have arisen in animals.

- Numerous Level 3 diseases threaten the Prairies and Canada. As of
September 23, 2003, Saskatchewan had 418 of 742 confirmed and probable cases
of West Nile Virus in Canada. Tuberculosis (TB) rates in Saskatchewan's
Aboriginal population accounted for 87 per cent of all TB cases in Canada in
1999. Among diseases that may be studied at INTERVAC are hepatitis C, SARS,
HIV, influenza and BSE.

- In Canada, there are nearly 90 Level 3 facilities operating or under
construction, consultation, or certification. Most are small labs attached
to provincial health departments or medical schools.

- Laboratories dealing with human pathogens must be certified by Health
Canada's Office of Laboratory Security. Level 3 and 4 labs dealing strictly
with animal pathogens are certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
As INTERVAC will deal with human and animal diseases, both federal
regulators will be involved. INTERVAC's biosafety officer will report to the
U of S Department of Health, Safety, and the Environment. Once INTERVAC is
operating, the U of S biosafety program will monitor the facility, ensuring
adherence to strict federal regulations.

- INTERVAC, housing Saskatchewan's first Level 3 labs dealing with human and
animal diseases, will be used by researchers at several U of S colleges, and
by the provincial government and other national and international partners.

- INTERVAC's many special features will ensure the safety of workers, the
community and the environment. Equipment costs total $4.5 million of the
$61.8-million facility. Air will be filtered, and effluent filtered and
sterilized.

- INTERVAC builds on the expertise and reputation of VIDO (operating for 28
years at the U of S) and the research successes of the College of Medicine
and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

- INTERVAC will help retain skilled health science researchers at the U of
S. It will also create construction jobs and about 20 highly skilled jobs
when the facility is operational in 2008 or 2009. There will be economic
benefits to the city and the province.

- INTERVAC will benefit the U of S by enhancing its international
reputation, and attracting more researchers and more potential funding.

- VIDO, the primary collaborator in INTERVAC, is a not-for-profit research
centre owned by the U of S. VIDO (http://www.vido.org/) has annual research
revenue exceeding $10 million.