The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is getting a $230,000 boost from three of Saskatoon’s hospital foundations.
The Royal University Hospital Foundation, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation and Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation partnered to make the donation.
“The donation is meant to honour the hard work of front-line doctors, nurses, medical, support staff and research initiatives across the hospitals and Saskatchewan,” according to the foundations.
“Contributing to research in the search to save lives for future infectious diseases is one way to honour front-line health-care workers while also creating a safer future for everyone.”
Officials said the new gift adds to the support received from other private donors and all levels of government to establish VIDO as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research.
“This investment in Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research will help ensure we are prepared for the next emerging infectious disease, so our health-care system hopefully never has to face a pandemic of this magnitude again,” VIDO director and CEO Dr. Volker Gerdts said in a statement on Thursday.
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This funding will help expand VIDO’s infrastructure and support research, according to officials.
VIDO is continuing to move forward with clinical trials and announced positive interim Phase 1 results for COVAC-2 –one of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates — this past summer.
The organization located at the University of Saskatchewan has a 45-year history of vaccine development and commercialization with eight of its vaccines sold commercially and six described as world-firsts.
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