A new multimillion-dollar research project is looking for diseases’
Achilles’ heel.
The Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon was awarded
$26.9 million in grants April 3, creating one of the largest research
projects of its type in Canadian history.
Bacterium, viruses and parasites search out weaknesses in animals and
take advantage of natural gaps in their immune systems.
VIDO plans to approach pathogens the same way and find their
vulnerabilities. It will then develop new methods of stimulating immune
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systems to defend against the invaders.
“Immune systems have been developed over millions of years,” said Andy
Potter, who co-ordinates research at VIDO.
“Who are we to tinker with that? It is better if we just tickle the
right portions of the immune systems we have and get them started. They
are capable of doing the rest.”
Genes inside infectious agents change their behaviour as they enter
their victims. Scientists say those genes could be the key for disease
control.
Researchers from VIDO and the University of British Columbia will also
examine the way infected hosts’ genes change in response to pathogens.
The result will be new vaccines that stimulate specific immune
responses to the sources of infection.
“If I were a livestock producer I would be very excited about where
this technology is going. It could be getting a lot easier to prevent
disease in livestock in the near future.”
Potter said VIDO will contribute its extensive animal modeling systems
and a not-yet-completed genome research lab to the project. Funding
comes from the federal funding agency Genome Canada, the Saskatchewan
government and two private partners – AniGenics Inc. of Chicago,
Illinois, and Inimex of Vancouver.
“There is a large component of corporate support for this project and I
think this speaks volumes for the potential commercialization of the
research,” Potter said.
Two thirds of the funding will go to VIDO with the remainder to UBC.
