VIDO, Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research on the USask Campus, was invited to join a high containment network with 18 other biocontainment facilities in the United States, and was unanimously accepted. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s Director of Business Development, Dr. Paul Hodgson, says this is something that has been brewing for awhile.

Texas A&M had representatives come up to look at VIDO’s Level 3 containment facility to help with their design, and then the Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network (RAV3N) came to Saskatoon with a presentation about the network. Hodgson says the network essentially changed some of the regulations about who was allowed to join and then invited VIDO to join.

Executive Director of RAV3N, Kurt Zuelke, says, “Infectious diseases don’t obey orders and having VIDO in our network is a positive step to protecting the U.S. from threats.” Hodgson adds that will be meetings in the near future to explore opportunities for VIDO and the University of Saskatchewan to partner with this network, which is focused on livestock and wildlife. He adds that with the livestock industry, animals go back and forth across the border, and with avian flu, it’s not like birds stop at the border, so this partnership is a natural fit.

VIDO has a vaccine manufacturing facility, a Level 3 biocontainment facility and is in the midst of upgrading to containment Level 4, which is the highest level.