SASKATOON — The provincial government’s innovation arm is providing University of Saskatchewan researchers with $200,000 to help find a vaccine for COVID-19.
The university’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre is at the forefront of a global search, having previously worked on vaccines for SARS and the Zika virus. The Saskatoon lab is one of the few research facilities with regulatory approval to work on the new virus.
“Saskatchewan’s infectious disease researchers are among the best in the world and our government is proud to support their efforts in the development of a vaccine to protect against COVID-19,” said Tina Beaudry-Mellor, the minister in charge of Innovation Saskatchewan, in a media release.
The researchers are evaluating the safety and efficiency of potential vaccines and medications to reduce the ability of the virus to multiply. Both are key requirements for regulatory approval of new medicines. The team hopes to know within weeks whether an effective vaccine has been developed. If animal trials prove successful, clinical testing involving humans would take place as soon as possible.
Collaborating with the World Health Organization and researchers in several countries, the Saskatoon team received a significant grant earlier this month from Canadian federal funding agencies – part of a $26.7-million rapid research initiative to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
“Support for this research is increasingly important as the disease continues to spread,” said Dr. Volker Gerdts, the CEO of the university’s vaccine centre. “This support will help in our worldwide efforts to develop a solution for this disease.”
