Dramatic VIDO expansion to benefit Alberta's livestock industry

Saskatoon, Sask., October 18, 2002

Two recent meetings show Alberta is set to benefit substantially from its historic connection with Canada's leading research organization for food animal infectious diseases.

The Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), based in Saskatoon, held meetings in Calgary and Edmonton to outline its dramatic expansion plans and ambitious research agenda to Alberta stakeholders, including leaders in the livestock and food industries, government and the research community.

The organization has long served as a world-class institution for vaccine research and development, says VIDO Director Dr. Lorne Babiuk. With a new $20 million expansion slated for completion next spring, VIDO is set to solidify its leadership position for a new generation of food animal disease and food safety research.

"A new era is underway at VIDO and Alberta will continue to be front and centre as a supporter and beneficiary of this organization," says Babiuk. "The expansion will strengthen our core activities in food animal disease research and vaccine development, while broadening capacity in powerful areas such as genomics and bioinfomatics. This will benefit the livestock industry, consumers and society as a whole. It will also allow us to take advantage of the convergence in animal and human health research."

Alberta figures prominently in VIDO's history and continues to play a key role in the organization's operations, says Babiuk. VIDO was founded in 1975 through the Devonian Group of Charities of Calgary. It is a non-profit, public research institute, owned by the University of Saskatchewan, that operates with substantial support from the Government of Alberta, the Government of Saskatchewan and competitive grants from the Government of Canada. Two Albertans currently serve on VIDO's 13-member Board of Directors, which includes representatives of government, the livestock industry and universities.

"Alberta is a major global centre for livestock production that has long supported and helped shape the direction of VIDO," says Babiuk. "We expect this relationship to remain a driving force in VIDO's ongoing effort to perform research and development of high quality and relevance to the end user."

VIDO's physical expansion will more than double its capacity, with 50,000 square feet of new office and lab space. This will allow VIDO to nearly double its staff - from 85 to 145 - over the next five years and purchase high-impact equipment such as micro-array readers, micro-array spotters and DNA sequencers. The expansion is financed by several major partners, including the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Western Diversification, the Province of Saskatchewan, the Province of Alberta and Genome Canada. After this initial expansion was announced, VIDO was approved to conduct a major part of a new $26.9 million Genome Canada research project, which adds an additional floor to the expanded facilities.

The livestock industry remains the focal point of VIDO's potential, says Dr. Andy Potter, VIDO Associate Director (Research). VIDO research and development includes live vectored vaccines and several other technologies with a range of specific applications for beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine and poultry. This includes platform technologies such as vaccine delivery systems and pathogenomics information that provide benefits across livestock sectors.

"Often the best way to attack food safety issues is to prevent diseases on the frontline of livestock production," says Potter. "Modern vaccines and research knowledge that helps producers overcome diseases can remove major barriers to production, while in turn protecting the environment and the food system."

The Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization is a world leader in vaccine research for the control of infectious diseases in food animals and poultry. It holds more than 50 U.S. patents, collaborates with numerous other research organizations around the globe, and is a premier training facility for Canadian and foreign students.

For more information, contact:

Stuart Bond
Associate Director, Producer Relations
Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization
Phone: (306) 966-7465
Fax: (306) 966-7478