Farmscape for May 22, 2019

The construction of a new pilot scale vaccine manufacturing facility will allow VIDO-InterVac to produce the volumes needed to test the vaccines it develops.
Within the next 18 months VIDO-InterVac plans to begin the construction of a pilot scale vaccine manufacturing facility.
VIDO-InterVac Director Dr. Volker Gerdts says the hope is to have the new facility approved and on stream within the next two to three years.

Clip-Dr. Volker Gerdts-VIDO-InterVac:
VIDO-InterVac is one of the global leaders in vaccine development for both animal and human disease.
We have a history of more than 40 years.
We  developed a number of vaccines that are available to producers out there.
We're looking at those diseases that are on the future horizon, that are coming up, that are emerging and potentially cause big problems.
These emerging diseases continue to pop up around the world.
They cross the species barriers from animals into humans and actually visa versa from humans into animals.
When we see new diseases or more virulent diseases, more disease causing problems, that's a focus area for VIDO-InterVac to focus on these emerging diseases.
We have one of the world's most advanced infrastructures right here in Saskatchewan and now, with funding from the province of Saskatchewan and the Western Economic Diversification, we are adding a manufacturing facility to it.
That will allow us to then, these candidates that we develop here in house, to manufacture them here in house and they then can be used as an animal vaccine and hopefully in the future we're looking also in manufacturing these vaccines for human applications or  for human disease.

Dr. Gerdts says Canada had quite a few manufacturing facilities but many were purchased by global companies and moved.
He says any capacity we can use for clinical trials or to prepare for the next emerging disease will help protect Canadians and their livestock from the next threat.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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