Alberta invests $55 million in vaccine research and development

According to Prime Minister Jason Kenney, the “vaccine nationalism” demonstrated by the European Union and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the importance of Canada becoming more self-reliant in producing vaccines in the future.

We’ve all learned that we need to invest in our health security, he said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The best thing we can do as a county, in the long run, is make sure we have the capacity, within our borders, to deal with what this or other similar disease is going to throw at us. in shape.

The Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta will receive $55.1 million.

The funds will, among other things, improve the university’s Level 3 Biosafety Laboratory facilities and acquire a cryopreservation electron microscope.

The fact that we already have a biosafety level 3 laboratory in Alberta allowed us to immediately start working on COVID-19 two years ago.Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta, Matthias GottAnd At a press conference on Wednesday.

Now we need to increase our capacity, which is what this grant will allow us to do.

He adds that electron microscopy, also known as CryoEM, is a cutting-edge technology essential to the team’s research.

It’s a high-resolution microscope that allows us to take a close-up of the interior of the virus. […] Must have one in Alberta, he explains.

The province also says it is willing to provide $26.1 million to businesses Intuos PharmaceuticalsAnd Applied pharmaceutical innovation And North RNA.

However, this investment is conditional on obtaining funding from the federal government or the private sector. It represents 10% of the total cost of the projects submitted by the three companies.

contracting Intuos Pharmaceuticals For example, the acquisition of $15.5 million to establish a production facility in Edmonton.

We are in contact with the Canadian government for this. He’s receptive, but no final decision has been made, says Jason Kinney.

economic diversification

The prime minister says that in addition to supporting vaccine development, the investment announced on Wednesday will support Alberta’s pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.

This will create new jobs and opportunities for diversification [de l’économie], He said.

This historic scholarship will ensure our access to state-of-the-art facilities that will allow us to remain competitive internationally and enhance our ability to attract high-level trainees and leading scientists to combat viral diseases.Dr. Lorne Terrell, president of the Li Ka-Shing Institute of Virology, said in a statement.