Saskatoon’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization on the University of Saskatchewan campus is entering phase two clinical trials later this month when it comes to their two COVID-19 vaccines. One is a booster program which is being tested in Canada, while the other is a vaccine designed for low and middle income countries which will be tested in Uganda.

VIDO’s director and CEO, Dr. Volker Gerdts says 380 people are taking part in the Canadian trials while 300 are set to take part in the African trials. Gerdts says authorities in Uganda have reviewed the trial and now it’s pending the final ethic review with screening for individuals set to take place in the next little while before the trial fully gets underway at the end of the month or early April. “We really think that this is a vaccine technology that has a lot of benefits for use in remote areas, it’s very stable to store and use in transport. It offers several advantages over some of the vaccines that are already authorized like the RNA technology for an example which much more unstable.”

Last month, the first COVID-19 vaccine developed in Canada got the green light by health officials to start rolling out doses. The plant-based Medicago vaccine is also seeking approval in the United States. VIDO’s Canadian study will take place at sites in Toronto and Halifax, with the hope of establishing a site in Saskatoon to go along with the ones out east.

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities has said they will also continue to help support VIDO and their efforts to study human and animal pathogens and developing solutions for infectious diseases around the world. SARM stated in a news release that VIDO has created a number of vaccines for animals over the years including Vicogen, a recognizable vaccine against calf scours that started in 1978.