By: Shawn Lawrence
Infectious Disease
Pushing Canadian
Infectious disease
research to new heights
C
onstruction of the new International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), the newest facility of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan is nearing completion. Scheduled to open later this month, the facility will be among the largest of its kind in the world, and by far the largest infrastructure investment in vaccines ever made by Canada. Since shovels first broke ground in November of 2007, building the facility has been a demanding task affected by rising regional construction costs and other challenges. The benefits that this $140 million dollar containment level 3 facility will bring to vaccine research in Canada, however, are immeasurable. For starters, it is expected to dramatically improve the ability of researchers to safely work with new or emerging diseases. That alone makes its existence worth its weight in gold says Dr. Andrew Potter, CEO and director of VIDO-InterVac. Construction of InterVac prompted a name change to VIDO-InterVac, reflecting the expansion of capabilities that includes containment level 3 research. Potter describes VIDO-InterVac as a triumph of partnerships for both the province of Saskatchewan and Canada, as they work together to strengthen science in the country.
10 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS FEBRUARY 2011
