Non-human adenoviruses as vaccine delivery vehicles
Infectious diseases remain the major cause of death and economic losses in animals/humans. One way to reduce this is by vaccination. Unique and sophisticated biotechnology-based approaches are needed to produce safe, cost-effective, and highly efficacious vaccines. Potential benefits of these vaccines could include the induction of long lived immunity, ability to immunize newborns and induction of a broad spectrum of immune responses. One way to achieve this is to develop live viral vectored gene
deleted vaccines. We have choosen to develop non human adenoviruses (bovine adenovirus [BAdV-]-3; porcine adenovirus [PAdV]-3) as vectors for vaccination of animals and humans. Utilizing a variety of genomic and proteomics approaches, the research in the laboratory includes projects both on adenovirus biology and, on the development and use of non human adenoviruses as vectors.
The standard of science and its application provide an excellent opportunity for training in modern methods of biotechnology including recombinant DNA technology, cell biology, gene expression and molecular virology. The applicant will be able to expand his/her basic knowledge and have hands on experience in Molecular biology / virology as applied to understanding the biology of adenovirus, live viral vectoring and vaccine development. He/she will be working closely with me and other members (post
doctoral fellows, graduate students and technicians) of my laboratory at Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan on the specific identified project. He/she will have responsibility for experimental design and execution of the specific research project. As part of the group, he/she will report and seek assistance from the group as required. However, he/she will have access as needed to the advice and assistance of a large group of scientists with a wide range of experience.
VIDO’s multiple discipline (virology, immunology, vaccinology, pathogenomics) based knowledge is readily accessible to all trainees, which provides an excellent training environment for training and teaches them about values of collaboration in present day science. Moreover, it also exposes them to the importance of patenting, commercialization, confidentiality, research planning and, setting up and achieving milestones.
