Job Order Detail

Description

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Canadas Centre for Pandemic Research, is a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development for humans and animals. Located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, VIDO is home to one of the largest and most advanced containment level 3 facilities in the world. To strengthen the preparedness for emerging infectious diseases we are currently expanding our infrastructure to include containment level 4 capacity, a GMP vaccine manufacturing facility, and a new animal housing facility. Our vision includes having the capacity to study any emerging disease in any animal model embracing a One Health approach to prevent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in humans and animals.

Position Summary
Dr. Aneesh Thakur, Principal Investigator, Laboratory of Vaccine Engineering and Immunology (LVEI) is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to work on a project focused on developing RNA vaccines in cattle.

Infectious diseases of cattle remain a considerable challenge that impacts animal health and food security. Veterinary vaccines with the capacity for rapid development during disease outbreaks and potential for low-cost manufacture and distribution are highly desired. Messenger RNA (mRNA) formulated with lipid nanoparticles offer a new and exciting platform for such vaccines. However, the major bottlenecks to the application of mRNA vaccines in farm animals is their limited storage/shelf stability and the requirements for multiple boosters, which increases the overall cost of the final vaccine product. The purpose of this project is to address these challenges and develop novel mRNA vaccines for cattle immunization. The project will combine approaches in drug delivery, immunology, microbiology, and bovine infection models to achieve the objectives.