For 50 years, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan has helped producers protect herd health and livelihoods. Since opening its doors in 1975, VIDO has delivered eight commercial veterinary vaccines, including six world firsts, tackling diseases that matter to farmers such as calf scours, shipping fever pneumonia, and hemorrhagic enteritis in turkeys.
In 2011, VIDO added containment level 3 labs large enough for livestock research, making it one of the world’s leading infectious disease facilities able to address both animal and human health. This proved critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when VIDO became the first lab in Canada to isolate the SARS-CoV-2 virus, develop animal models, and share data with the World Health Organization.
“Animal and human health are deeply interconnected,” explains Dr. Volker Gerdts, Director and CEO of VIDO. “Our ability to respond quickly to emerging threats like COVID-19 is a direct result of the infrastructure and expertise developed over decades of animal health research.”
Today, VIDO continues to work alongside producers on pressing threats to animal health. Research efforts include highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), tuberculosis in bison and cattle, Johne’s disease, and swine influenza. Building on years of innovation, these projects strengthen the health and productivity of herds while supporting food security.
VIDO continues to cement its place as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research with the new Vaccine Development Centre for human and animal vaccine manufacturing, expanding animal housing and scientific expertise, and adding the highest containment level labs to allow work with any pathogen. Since 2020, over $120 million in federal, provincial and city funding has been invested in infrastructure along with operational funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Saskatchewan.
Fifty years on, VIDO remains focused on the same mission it began with: advancing animal health through vaccines and research. For producers, that means healthier herds, stronger protection against emerging infectious diseases, and a partner committed to ensuring Canadian agriculture thrives for decades to come.
See what’s next at vido.org
