Infectious diseases can affect the health of people and animals, disrupt communities and food systems, and have significant economic impacts.

New infectious diseases continue to emerge, while known diseases can change, spread to new regions or become more difficult to prevent and treat. Some of these changes are accelerating with climate instability. Research helps us understand these threats and develop vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures before and during outbreaks.

VIDO has more than 50 years of experience in infectious disease research and vaccine development, with expertise spanning both human and animal health.

Our specialized facilities bring infectious disease research, preclinical testing, vaccine development and manufacturing together at one location. This combination of scientific expertise and infrastructure helps Canada study emerging infectious diseases and develop and test medical countermeasures more quickly.

VIDO's technologies have contributed to commercial vaccines, and our researchers work with academic, government and industry partners in Canada and around the world.

Canada's Centre for Pandemic Research is VIDO's initiative to strengthen Canada's ability to prevent, prepare for and respond to emerging and high-consequence infectious disease threats.

VIDO is building on its existing expertise and infrastructure by:

• operating the Vaccine Development Centre, a Containment Level 3-capable biomanufacturing facility that meets Good Manufacturing Practices requirements;
• adding Containment Level 4 (CL4) research capacity;
• expanding animal housing facilities to support a wider range of infectious disease research;
• growing scientific and technical expertise; and
• training the next generation of scientists, laboratory professionals and animal care specialists.

Containment refers to the combination of facility design, specialized equipment, procedures and practices used to safely work with pathogens and toxins while protecting employees, the community and the environment.

Canada has four containment levels, from Containment Level 1 (CL1) to Containment Level 4 (CL4). The requirements increase according to the risks associated with the pathogens or toxins being studied.

VIDO currently operates CL2 and CL3 facilities and is expanding to include CL4 capacity.

High-containment facilities in Canada must meet federal requirements and are regulated by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as applicable.

Learn more about safety and security at VIDO

Containment Level 4 is the highest level of biological containment. CL4 facilities allow scientists to safely study pathogens that can cause serious or life-threatening disease and for which vaccines or treatments may be limited or unavailable.

Adding CL4 capacity will allow VIDO to safely study a broader range of infectious disease threats and help Canada develop vaccines, treatments and other medical countermeasures without relying entirely on research capacity outside the country.

VIDO's CL4 facilities will be required to meet federal requirements before becoming operational.

High-containment (CL3 and CL4) research in Canada operates within a comprehensive federal biosafety and biosecurity process and policy framework.

VIDO's facilities use multiple layers of protection, including specialized facility design and equipment, operating procedures, employee training, testing and verification. Requirements become increasingly stringent at higher containment levels. Preventative maintenance is a key element in ensuring optimal facility operations. All mechanical systems include redundant capacity. This means that each key operational system has at least one backup.

VIDO's high-containment facilities and activities are subject to federal requirements and regulatory oversight. VIDO successfully recertified its facilities in July 2026 as part of this process.

Learn more about safety and security at VIDO

Yes. Incidents involving pathogens and toxins are documented, investigated and reported according to applicable federal requirements.

At VIDO, reportable high-containment incidents are reported to the appropriate federal regulator as well as VIDO senior leadership and the University of Saskatchewan. Information is also shared with VIDO's Community Liaison Committee (CLC), as appropriate.

The CLC provides a direct link between VIDO and the community. It can raise community concerns with VIDO's leadership and Board of Directors and, if needed, with University leadership or appropriate government and regulatory officials. The CLC also publicly reports on its activities each year.

Infectious diseases can affect multiple organs and the immune system in complex ways that cannot always be understood using cells, computer models or other laboratory methods alone.

Animal research can provide important information about how a disease affects a living system and whether potential vaccines and treatments are likely to be safe and effective before they are used in people or animals.

Animal studies are also an important part of the regulatory approval process for many new medicines and vaccines. Before a new product can be approved for use, regulators require evidence that it is safe and effective. This can include studies in animals to assess safety and, depending on the product, to demonstrate effectiveness against a disease or in the species the product is intended to protect.

VIDO follows the internationally recognized 3Rs: Replace animals when possible, Reduce the number used and Refine research methods to improve animal welfare. VIDO supports and adopts alternative research technologies when they are scientifically valid.

VIDO works with a range of animals, from mice to bison, depending on the disease being studied.

With its history in veterinary medicine, VIDO is internationally recognized for its expertise working with large animals. This capacity is particularly important for studying diseases affecting livestock and diseases that can spread between animals and people. This is referred to as zoonotic infection and is a key component of a term called ‘One-Health’ which also includes the environment.

VIDO's expanded animal facilities will also provide capacity to work with additional species, including insects, non-human primates, reptiles and bats.

Animal welfare is a priority at VIDO. Animals are cared for by trained staff, including licensed veterinarians and animal care technicians, and are routinely monitored throughout research studies.

All research involving animals must be independently reviewed and approved by the University Animal Care Committee before it begins and must comply with national standards established by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). No study proceeds without scientific and ethical justification.

Every study also includes veterinarian-approved criteria designed to protect animal welfare. VIDO holds a CCAC Certificate of Good Animal Practice®, recognizing its compliance with Canada's standards for the ethical care and use of animals in science.

Researchers use alternatives to animal research whenever scientifically appropriate. Technologies such as cell cultures, organ-on-a-chip systems, computer modelling and artificial intelligence are advancing rapidly and can reduce the need for animals in some types of research.

However, these methods cannot yet fully reproduce the complex interactions between an infectious disease, the immune system and different organs in a living body.

At present, animal studies are still required before a new vaccine or treatment can move into human clinical trials. VIDO adopts alternative approaches when they are scientifically valid, with the goal of replacing and reducing animal use wherever possible.