SASKATOON – To help protect Saskatchewan residents from emerging disease threats, Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) has invested $150,000 to help establish Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). The Foundation’s investment will support vaccine research and development to strengthen frontline health care and help reduce the impact of future infectious diseases and pandemics.

“We are grateful to Hospitals of Regina Foundation for this support. Their investment will benefit the people of Saskatchewan, including frontline healthcare providers, as we address potential new threats as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research,” said VIDO Director and CEO Dr. Volker Gerdts. This new funding will help expand VIDO’s infrastructure to develop new vaccines. With the addition of global scientific leaders and enhanced training, VIDO will be poised to lead Canada’s response to future pandemic threats.

“We are pleased to be investing in this new vaccine centre in our province to support the research and development of a made-in Saskatchewan COVID-19 vaccine, as well as other vaccines that will positively impact the health of our southern Saskatchewan community and prepare our province for the next pandemic,” said HRF president and CEO Dino Sophocleous. “With what we’ve experienced over the past year and a half, this is a needed step in building our capacity to deal with future pandemics.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, USask’s VIDO took a national leadership role, and the organization recently announced positive interim Phase 1 results for COVAC-2—one of VIDO’s COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

With support from Hospitals of Regina Foundation, other private donors and all levels of government, Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research will soon be established at VIDO. This expansion to VIDO’s infrastructure will be completed during the next three years.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Victoria Dinh
USask Media Relations
victoria.dinh@usask.ca
306-966-5487

Trenna Brusky
VIDO Marketing Co-ordinator
trenna.brusky@usask.ca
306-966-2274

About Hospitals of Regina Hospital Foundation:

From the first moment of life, each and every one of us is destined to require treatment or care in a hospital. In Regina, our three hospitals strive to deliver exceptional health care every day. But exceptional care requires exceptional support, and this is where Hospitals of Regina Foundation makes a difference.

In 1987, the vision of an inspired group of volunteers helped establish our Foundation. We fund raise and invest in key centres of care, helping our hospitals deliver the best health care possible for everyone in our southern Saskatchewan community. With our community’s support, the Foundation has raised over $210 million since our inception, investing in priority technology, equipment, fellowships & education, and clinical research. www.hrf.sk.ca

About the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization:

The University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is internationally recognized for its role in vaccine development and is one of Canada’s national science facilities. VIDO has a 45-year history of vaccine development and commercialization—eight of its vaccines have been sold commercially, and six have been described as world-firsts. The ~150-member organization operates using an ISO:9001 certified management system in state-of-the-art containment Level 2 and 3 facilities. VIDO receives operating support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation Major Science Initiatives program and the Government of Saskatchewan through Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture. www.vido.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Marketing & Communications, Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
(306) 781-7500