Canada: Winnipeg Center Submits Proposal for HIV Vaccine Manufacturing Facility

Manitoba is one of three Canadian cities competing to be the site of an $88 million (US $72.5 million) plant to manufacture HIV vaccines for clinical trials. The facility is part of the $139-million (US $114.6 million) Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, a joint venture between Canada's government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Manitoba-based International Center for Infectious Diseases has submitted to the federal government a proposal for a secure, high-containment facility. The local biopharmaceutical firm Cangene Corp. and the Serum Institute of India would be partners if the ICID proposal wins. The Serum Institute is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, producing shots for two out of every three children vaccinated in the world.

"We're treating it like an Olympic or Pan Am Games bid," said Terry Duguid, ICID's president. "We're going all-out to secure this facility for Winnipeg."

The city is home to the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory, and the University of Manitoba has done ground-breaking HIV research projects in Africa and India. "We are the HIV research capital of Canada," he said. "We have more HIV researchers, both on the vaccine and prevention sides, than any other city in Canada."

The government's final decision is not expected until fall. Other cities that could host the lab are London and Peterborough in Ontario, and another facility proposal is thought to be based in Quebec. It will take another two to three years before the vaccine facility is fully operational.

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