VIDO research scientist awarded CIHR grant to develop respiratory vaccine

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory disease in infants. In the U.S., the virus causes 4,500 deaths each year in both infants and young children. There is no licensed vaccine available to protect children from this virus.

Dr. Sylvia van den Hurk, head of VIDO’s Nucleic Acid Technologies program, has been awarded $345,280 over four years in the recent CIHR operating grants competition to investigate how this virus causes disease and to use this knowledge to design a vaccine. Her work with bovine RSV on this project will also benefit the livestock industry.

The full release is available at: http://announcements.usask.ca/news/archive/2004/02/u_of_s_awarded_15.html