The Vaccine (formerly Veterinary) and Infectious Disease Organization has received Health Canada approval to begin human trials with the first of two COVID-19 vaccines it has under development.
The Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Halifax has begun to recruit volunteers for the trial. If all goes well, the Canadian-made vaccine from labs at the University of Saskatchewan could be cleared for Canadian use before the end of the year.
“The approval to initiate a human clinical trial is a milestone for VIDO,” said VIDO director and chief executive officer Dr. Volker Gerdts.
VIDO has a track record for developing successful livestock and poultry vaccines.
VIDA said subunit-based vaccines are a proven technology that has been used in many commercially-available vaccines—including for hepatitis, diphtheria, and whooping cough—with an excellent safety profile.
These well-established vaccines are relatively stable and have not required ultra cold storage temperatures.
“This is the first university-based COVID-19 vaccine to begin Phase 1 testing at CCfV.
The purpose of this trial is to demonstrate the safety of the vaccine in humans,” said CCfV Director Dr. Scott Halperin.
