New $24 million funding to spearhead pandemic preparedness research

VIDO at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded a research grant worth up to $24 million (Cdn) from CEPI, which aims to support VIDO’s role in advancing global health and disease prevention. 

The new funding will help VIDO continue developing its pan-sarbecovirus vaccine – a broadly protective vaccine designed specifically to protect against different types of potentially deadly coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, as well as SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic. If successful, the candidate vaccine will be tested in a Phase I clinical trial in people.

Emerging infectious diseases, like COVID-19, disrupt lives, families, and communities. Unlike traditional vaccines, broadly protective vaccines are designed to provide immunity against many related viruses or pathogens, including future variants that may not yet exist. Broadly protective vaccines, like the one VIDO is developing, aim to safeguard everyone, reducing illness, preventing hospitalizations, and protecting livelihoods. These vaccines also create the potential for greater health security, less fear of future outbreaks, and a better chance at returning to normal life more quickly during global health crises. 

By providing expanded protection, broadly protective vaccines can mitigate the impact of pandemics and could help ensure families, workplaces, and communities are shielded from the devastating effects of future pandemics. Investing in this transformative technology is essential to building a resilient and prepared global health system.

The safe and stable innovative protein subunit technology developed by VIDO works by presenting non-infectious protein fragments, such as receptor binding domains, to the body to generate an immune response. VIDO’s updated vaccine design, created to provide broad coronavirus protection, now contains receptor binding domains from multiple coronaviruses to elicit protective immune responses against multiple viruses.

The development of this vaccine will help advance the 100 Days Mission, a goal spearheaded by CEPI and embraced by Canada and other G7 as well as G20 nations, to create new vaccines in as little as 100 days from viral identification to contain new viruses with epidemic and pandemic potential in their tracks. Moreso, this project aligns with VIDO’s strategic efforts as a key global centre in pandemic research and as part of its mission to protect the world from infectious diseases.

The project builds on VIDO's earlier work on a variant-proof COVID-19 vaccine, which received funding from CEPI in 2021.

CEPI and VIDO are committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project, in line with CEPI’s Equitable Access Policy. Project results, including related data, will be published open access for the benefit of the global scientific community. CEPI intends to support further clinical development of the vaccine should the project meet its goals.

As a protein-based vaccine technology, VIDO’s vaccine is favourable to low- and middle-income countries as it is thermostable and therefore does not require complex frozen storage, which can be lacking in low-resource settings and can therefore impact access to doses.

This funding comes in addition to $30 million (Cdn) provided by PrairiesCan to complete critical infrastructure that establishes VIDO as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research—including a new animal housing facility and upgrades to containment Level 4.

This project aligns with VIDO’s strategic efforts as a key global centre in pandemic research and as part of its mission to protect the world from infectious diseases.

“Coronaviruses are behind some of the deadliest outbreaks in the 21st century and the threat of a novel coronavirus threat ever present. We therefore need to move away from the ‘one bug, one drug’ approach where we create vaccines against individual viral threats and instead develop a single vaccine that could target COVID-19, SARS and other sarbecoviruses. This would be an essential preparedness step for the world that could prevent the escalation of cases in a future outbreak, and save time, money, and, ultimately, lives. Canada has been an integral supporter of CEPI since our launch and we are delighted to continue our partnership, supported by Global Affairs Canada, investing in VIDO’s promising vaccine innovation.”

• Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO, CEPI

“This partnership with CEPI is a testament to VIDO’s growing reputation as a global leader in protecting our communities against future pandemics. It also underscores the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors. Since 2020, PrairiesCan has invested over $120 million to help VIDO become a world-class hub for research, innovation, and vaccine manufacturing—work that promises to deliver benefits far beyond our borders.”

• The Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister Responsible for PrairiesCan, Government of Canada 

“The new partnership between CEPI and VIDO is a great example of a homegrown initiative that can improve and save lives around the world. The Government of Canada is pleased to be supporting the efforts of Canadian vaccine researchers to advance global health and protect the world against infectious diseases. Canada remains committed to investing in research and health security preparedness here in Canada and around the world.”

• The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, Government of Canada

“Saskatchewan continues to elevate its global research leadership in critical areas like cutting-edge vaccine development research. With these investments today and the Government of Saskatchewan’s ongoing financial support, VIDO can broaden the reach and impact of made-in-Saskatchewan solutions to global communities, ensuring future health and economic security within our borders and beyond.”

• The Honourable Warren Kaeding, Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan, Government of Saskatchewan

“This tremendous investment highlights the global recognition of VIDO’s scientific excellence and the University of Saskatchewan’s commitment to addressing some of the world’s most pressing health challenges. Together, we are advancing innovation to protect people worldwide from emerging infectious diseases.”

• Peter Stoicheff, President, University of Saskatchewan

“This funding from CEPI is a testament to VIDO’s global leadership in infectious disease research and vaccine development. By focusing on broadly protective coronavirus vaccines, we are taking a critical step toward safeguarding humanity against future pandemics. Collaboration like this underscores the importance of international partnerships in developing innovative solutions to complex health threats.”

• Volker Gerdts, Director and CEO, VIDO