VIDO-developed SARS Vaccine Candidates Fast-tracked to Testing

Posted May 06, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 6, 2004 2004-05-12-OTHER

VIDO-developed SARS Vaccine Candidates Fast-tracked to Testing

Saskatoon, SK. Promising new SARS vaccine candidates developed in part by
the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
(VIDO) have entered testing, just 14 months after the disease emerged and
triggered a global health crisis.

"These vaccine prototypes represent a year of dramatic, rapid progress
toward solutions for SARS, which remains a major global human health
threat," says VIDO Director Lorne Babiuk. "VIDO's experience and expertise
in vaccine development and in model systems has been a crucial factor in
achieving this quick response."

The vaccine project is a collaboration among VIDO, McMaster University, the
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the University of
British Columbia (UBC). Funding for the program comes in part from the SARS
Accelerated Vaccine Initiative (SAVI), a program based on $2.6 million in
seed funding from the British Columbia government and operated with
administrative and leadership support from the BCCDC, the Michael Smith
Foundation for Health Research and UBC.

"The goal of SAVI is to develop an effective and safe SARS vaccine as
quickly as possible," says Dr. Raymond See, Program Director, Vaccine
Development, for SAVI. "The progress at VIDO is a good example of how this
can be achieved. Developing a new vaccine usually takes years. However, by
adopting an emergency-management model, VIDO and other institutions working
with SAVI are getting to the testing stage in a matter of months, rather
than years."

Two prototype vaccines for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) are
currently being tested and fine-tuned in collaboration with VIDO. One, which
employs an adenovirus vector, was developed by McMaster University and was
selected in part for its power to target the respiratory system and produce
a strong immune response. The second is a conventional killed SARS vaccine,
developed by BCCDC/UBC in collaboration with VIDO. The candidate vaccines
have entered animal testing at the Southern Research Institute in Alabama,
which has the "Level 3" laboratory facilities required to deal with SARS.
The first test results are expected this June.

It typically takes a minimum of 10 years to develop a market-ready vaccine,
but institutions operating as part of SAVI hope to cut that time in half for
the first successful SARS vaccine for humans.

VIDO's SARS work began in May 2003, but the institution had years of
experience working with a coronavirus - the type of virus that causes SARS -
as part of its livestock health research. "VIDO has previously developed and
licensed a coronavirus vaccine for cattle," says Babiuk. "This provided a
solid basis of understanding of the issues involved, which has proven very
important in vaccine development for SARS."

Future VIDO research on SARS and other highly infectious diseases will
benefit from a new International Vaccine Centre (INTERVAC), slated to open
on the University of Saskatchewan campus in 2008. The projected $61.8
million facility - a collaboration of VIDO, the university's College of
Medicine and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine - will be
Saskatchewan's first Level 3 laboratory dealing with human and animal
diseases. Level 3 facilities are required for work with diseases such as
SARS, hepatitis C, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and tuberculosis (TB),
which can cause serious infections.

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization is a world leader in vaccine
research for the control of infectious diseases and is a wholly owned
University of Saskatchewan not-for-profit institute. It operates with
substantial support from the Government of Alberta and the Government of
Saskatchewan as well as Government of Canada competitive grants.

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For more information, contact:

Tess Laidlaw
Communications Officer
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
University of Saskatchewan
www.vido.org
(306) 966-1506

Tracy Conley
Project Co-ordinator, Communications
SARS Accelerated Vaccine Initiative
(604) 661-1650
www.savi-info.ca