PM Announces $24-Million Boost to U of S International Vaccine Research Centre
Posted March 16, 2005
Tweet FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Wednesday, March 16, 2005 2005-03-08-OTHER
PM Announces $24-Million Boost to U of S International Vaccine Research Centre
Today the University of Saskatchewan's unique cluster of life science
research facilities received a
$24-million boost from the Government of Canada.
Prime Minister Paul Martin made the announcement at a news conference at the
U of S's Vaccine
and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). The funding will support the
development of a
$61.8-million International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), which will be one of
the largest vaccine
research laboratories in North America when it is completed in 2009. The new
facility will
improve the capacity to develop vaccines to combat current and emerging
diseases such as SARS,
West Nile virus and avian influenza.
"We are a University that has charted a deliberate course to develop our
research and teaching
capacity in science, technology and society," said Peter MacKinnon.
"We thank the Government of Canada for their faith in our vision. This
centre is a critically
important addition to the outstanding life sciences research capacity on our
campus that
includes the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, a full range of health
science colleges, and a
renowned biotechnology community."
VIDO director Lorne Babiuk, lead champion of the InterVac project and a U of
S Canada Research
Chair in Vaccinology and Biotechnology, said InterVac will save lives and
strengthen Canada's
leadership in infectious disease research, prevention and emergency
response, as well as
advance commercialization of research activities.
"It will vastly increase the breadth of research that we can do," he said.
"This new facility will
build on VIDO's world-class successes, leading to healthier animals and
healthier humans on an
even greater scale."
InterVac, U of S-owned and operated, represents an international
collaboration that includes
VIDO, the U of S College of Medicine, and the Western College of Veterinary
Medicine, as well as
academic, research and government institutions in Canada and abroad.
Researchers will develop
and test new vaccines and methods of delivering vaccines.
The new research centre will be the first "biosafety Level 3 facility" in
Western Canada dealing
with both human and large animal diseases. Diseases are classified
internationally on a scale of
one to four. Level 3 diseases include tuberculosis and hepatitis C. Such
facilities are federally
regulated and built to exceed international biocontainment safety standards
to protect workers,
the environment, and society.
In March of 2004, the project was awarded $19.2 million by the Canada
Foundation for
Innovation, the largest CFI award in animal and human vaccine research. In
addition, the U of S
has contributed $300,000 to date to cover preliminary design and other
initial project support
costs, and the City of Saskatoon agreed last November to contribute $250,000
over five years.
Other sources of public and private funding are in various stages of
negotiation.
Operating costs will be covered by user fees, the U of S, and for the first
five years, the CFI.
InterVac has attracted various partners and users, including the Canadian
Public Health Agency,
Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the International
Vaccine Institute in
Korea, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the B.C. Centre for
Disease Control.
The state-of-the-art laboratory will attract skilled medical researchers,
graduate students, and
research dollars, while contributing greatly to the student learning
experience.
As well, InterVac will attract companies in the human and animal health
sectors and bring many
economic benefits to the city, the province and the region. It's anticipated
that more than $60
million in construction, engineering fees and other goods and services would
be spent and/or
delivered to the Saskatoon region over a four-year building period.
Downloadable images related to VIDO and InterVac are available at:
http://www.vido.org/news/resources.php
For more information, visit:
http://www.usask.ca/research/intervac.shtml or contact:
Tess Laidlaw
Communications Officer
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1506
(306) 966-7478 (fax)
www.vido.org
Ghislaine McLeod
Communications Director
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6614
www.usask.ca
