Jason Warick

Canadians would be forced to rely on foreign supplies of life-saving vaccines in the event of an outbreak, but&nbsp;a group of University of Saskatchewan researchers is hoping to change that.

"It's important that we think about these situations and make sure that we're prepared for the next outbreak," said&nbsp;Volker&nbsp;Gerdts, director and&nbsp;CEO of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the U of S.

VIDO-InterVac is one of the few institutes in Canada equipped to handle the world's most dangerous viruses. Its researchers work on vaccines to prevent and combat animal diseases such as swine flu and Zika virus.

But many of these diseases can hop from animals to humans, and&nbsp;Canada is forced to rely on foreign suppliers for its human vaccines.

Volker Gerdts, CEO of VIDO-InterVac at the University of Saskatchewa, says they could manufacture human vaccines to prevent the spread of viruses. Canada currently relies on foreign suppliers in the event of an outbreak. 

vido

Gerdts said&nbsp;VIDO-InterVac could take the next step and start manufacturing small quantities of vaccines for humans. That would give Canada a more reliable supplier in the event of an outbreak.

"For the country to be prepared for it, we need manufacturing facilties," Gerdts said. "Right now, Canada has a shortage of these."

U of S receives $700K for Zika virus research

VIDO-InterVac has developed a better animal model that researchers say will help them not only understand the infection better, but test new vaccines and drugs.

The Zika virus was one of the major headlines leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

Zika-2016

The Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, but can also be sexually transmitted.

U of S vaccine could save millions of pigs and millions of dollars

Field testing is underway, but it appears researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have developed a vaccine to combat a virus that has killed millions of pigs and cost the industry hundreds of millions.

Two piglets rest on a barrier at a zoo in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region in southern China, February 9, 2007. The upcoming Chinese lunar new year, which is the year of the pig, generally regarded as one of abundance and good fortune,will fall on February 18.

Lesser Beasts Humble Pig Mark Essig

PED has killed more than eight million pigs. 

Gerdts says it would cost between $8 million and $10 million&nbsp;to build a proper manufacturing facility on campus.

He said discussions have begun with regulatory bodies about the rules for such a facility.&nbsp;He hopes to to secure funding and begin work in the next 12 months.

Scientists with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan research animal vaccines, but its CEO says they could soon produce human vaccines.

U of Sask. could help prepare for outbreaks by producing human vaccines for Canada, centre director says

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