Frequently Asked Questions about InterVac
What is InterVac?
InterVac is the acronym for the International Vaccine Centre, the containment level 3 (CL3) facility of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). With the enhanced capabilities being added through the construction of InterVac, the name of our organization was changed to VIDO-InterVac in 2009.
What does "containment level 3 (CL3)" mean?
The term "containment level 3" describes the type of safety measures and equipment needed within a facility to ensure workers are safe when studying certain types of disease-causing organisms. CL3 organisms can be transmitted through the air and can cause serious or life-threatening diseases. In the United States, the equivalent term is "biosafety level 3" (BL3).
What are some infectious diseases and causative agents that can be studied in a CL3 facility like InterVac?
- Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
- Rabies virus
- West Nile virus
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus
- Hepatitis C virus
- Prions that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and chronic wasting disease (CWD)
- Highly pathogenic strains of influenza (including avian influenza) virus
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), causative agent of AIDS
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (Hantaviruses)
- Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
- Brucellosis (Brucella abortus)
Who will use InterVac?
As its name suggests, InterVac will serve the international research and development community and will link with leading companies in the vaccine research field. Any researcher in the world conducting relevant research can apply as a potential user of InterVac.
What makes InterVac unique?
InterVac is custom built for developing and testing vaccines against CL3 infectious diseases. It will be one of the largest CL3 vaccine research and development facilities in the world, with 145,000 square feet of space available to study and test vaccines. The main floor is allocated for research; the remaining space is used for building services and laboratory support functions.
InterVac has been designed with flexibility as a priority. It can support experiments involving single or multiple pathogens involving multiple investigators, and studies can range from a single room trial to a sixteen room trial.
There are about 90 CL3 facilities in Canada. The majority are small labs associated with provincial health departments or medical schools. Several federal government agencies operate CL3 facilities for research, diagnostics and/or training purposes.
Who will regulate InterVac?
CL3 facilities dealing with human pathogens must be certified by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC); CL3 facilities dealing with animal pathogens must be certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). As InterVac will be used for research into both human and animal pathogens, both federal regulators will be involved.
InterVac's biosafety officer reports to the Director of VIDO-InterVac. Once InterVac is operating, the University of Saskatchewan Biosafety program will monitor the facility, ensuring adherence to strict federal regulations.
What happens if there is a breakdown in one or more safety mechanisms?
InterVac operates with a team of highly trained personnel and state of the art equipment that ensures ongoing safety. Any loss of function will be detected immediately by the building's control system and a relevant signal or alarm will be triggered, along with the appropriate response.
All mechanical systems include excess capacity, and a malfunction of equipment will automatically trigger increased function of other units, or the start up of backup equipment. For example, a lab's exhaust air is controlled by six air handlers, each running below full capacity. If one fails or is stopped for maintenance, the remaining units automatically increase in speed to ensure air movement and filtration is not compromised.
How can the community have confidence that InterVac will be operated safely?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada have specific requirements for the design, construction and operation of CL3 facilities, and InterVac is built to exceed current CL3 regulations.
Rigorous safety practices, state-of-the-art safety equipment and specifically engineered building features will protect laboratory personnel and the surrounding community from exposure to infectious agents. All incoming and outgoing air flow with pass through a series of HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters that remove airborne particles and pathogens, and all waste will be sterilized. Access to InterVac will be highly restricted and controlled.
What happens if there are safety concerns within the local community?
An independent committee has been established to ensure open and transparent communication on safety issues related to InterVac. This committee, called the InterVac Community Liaison Committee (CLC), is comprised of representatives that reflect a broad cross-section of community interest groups.
The CLC will monitor issues related to safety and incidents of potential public interest and members of the public are encouraged to contact the CLC with any questions or concerns. If concerns raised are not addressed by VIDO-InterVac's management, the committee is authorized to direct unresolved concerns to the University of Saskatchewan Vice-President Research, the President of the University of Saskatchewan and appropriate government and regulatory officials, with the authority to take the issue to the public at large if necessary.
How will the CLC keep the public updated on what's happening at InterVac?
The CLC can be contacted at any time with questions or concerns about the safety of InterVac in the community.
Their website will contain current information on issues that may affect the safety of the public. The CLC will also hold public meetings where questions can be directed to the people working and operating InterVac.
Is neighborhood safety a concern with InterVac operating near it?
Safety is our top priority. With the exacting engineering features of InterVac, specialized training and certification of personnel and implementation of strictly defined and monitored operating procedures, we are confident that public safety will be assured.
