Lorne Babiuk, a former U of S researcher and director of the Vaccine and Infection Disease Organization

Former researcher earns World Agriculture Prize

Lorne Babiuk, a former U of S researcher and one of the country’s leaders in health research, was recently awarded a prestigious agricultural research prize.

By University Communications

The U of S alum (BSA'67, MSc'69, DSc'87)—now the vice-president research at the University of Alberta—was awarded the World Agriculture Prize by the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA). The award recognizes his lifetime contributions as a renowned virologist, acclaimed for his international leadership in vaccine development and research in veterinary infectious disease control.

As a former director of VIDO—which underwent a $19.4-million expansion in 2003 during his tenure—Babiuk led a team that developed six world-first livestock vaccines, including the first genetically engineered vaccine for an animal species. Known for applying animal research to human diseases, he created a vaccine against rotavirus in calves that enabled researchers to develop a vaccine against the viral bowel infection in children. He also set in motion the creation of the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the U of S. Officially opened in 2011, the $140-million level three biocontainment facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world and key to advancing the next generation of vaccines designed to combat diseases such as pandemic influenza, West Nile virus, tuberculosis and numerous others.

See more at GCHERA.