VIDO Level 4 Containment lab likely to be up and running in 2027, says CEO

It won’t be long before the University of Saskatchewan will be home to just the second lab of its kind in Canada: a Level 4 bio-containment lab. The only other lab with that kind of capability is located in Winnipeg.

That’s just part of the overall goal of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s (VIDO) goal of becoming Canada’s “Centre for Pandemic Research,” according to Volker Gerdts, director and CEO.

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The project has three main elements: an in-house vaccine manufacturing facility that’s already up and running, which can be used for both humans and animals.

“We’re fully operational. We’re having lots of work going on already, we’re booking well into 2027 right now, and we have work that’s been done for Canadian bio-tech companies, agriculture companies…. with individual academics both here from Saskatchewan, but also across the country, and we’re even working on a human vaccine with an international organization called CEPI (Coalition Epidemic Preparedness Innovations),” Gerdts said.

VIDO director and CEO Volker Gerdts says the facility is nearing completion of the steps needed to become Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research. That includes a completed vaccine manufacturing facility, a Level 4 biocontainment lab, and an animal housing facility. (University of Saskatchewan)

The second part of that project is getting approval for the Level 4 bio-containment lab in Canada. He said that would allow researchers and scientists at the facility to work with and respond to any kind of virus or disease in the world affecting either humans or animals.

Renovations for that lab have been completed, and installation of the last two pieces of equipment is now taking place. Work with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to develop strict operating procedures is ongoing.

“We are planning for that one to be ready for commissioning ….over this year and maybe a bit of next year – so that we’re ready to be operational in 2027,” he explained.

The third piece of the pandemic research centre is a new, state-of-the-art animal housing facility that will contain all of the relevant species that carry those deadly viruses.

“So this is exotic species, this includes, for example, ticks, mosquitoes, it includes bats, reptiles, insects; all these species that we see associated or involved in these newer diseases, but it also includes domestic animals like sheep, pigs, bison, chickens,” he added.

The new Level 4 containment lab will be able to house the world’s deadliest diseases for study and research purposes. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

Over the last few years, VIDO has received additional money from all three levels of government to address previous shortfalls. $11 million has also been raised from private and corporate donors.

In 2022, the project hit a snag after construction and inflationary increases contributed to a larger overall projected budget. The original budget was around $66 million, but with the additional monetary requests of all levels of government, it came closer to $100 million.

Gerdts said all of this raises Canada’s international profile and shows that Canada is becoming better prepared for future emerging diseases, either affecting humans or livestock.

“By having the capacity in Canada to do research, but also manufacture vaccines in Canada, for Canadians, we’re becoming sovereign; we’re depending less on other countries to do this critical work for us,” he said.

VIDO is also working with partners around the world, focusing on new and existing diseases.

Gerdts added that while the centre remains focused on livestock diseases  — including the new, highly pathogenic Avian flu virus A(H5N1) — at the same time, as diseases jump from animals to humans, the organization now has the capacity, knowledge and expertise to be better prepared for potential pandemics in the future.