About us
Board of Directors | PREVENT founders | Management team
Lorne Babiuk
Chair, Vice President Research, University of Alberta
For Dr. Lorne Babiuk, Chair of the Board, establishment of an organization with a mandate to accelerate downstream vaccine development has been a long time in the making and an endeavour very close to his heart.
Prior to joining the University of Alberta as V-P (Research) in 2007, Dr. Babiuk spent 34 years as a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Much of that time was associated with building VIDO (Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization) that became an internationally recognized leader in novel vaccine development. In 1993, he was appointed Director of VIDO and, in 2001, he was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Vaccinology and Biotechnology.
In 2005, Dr Babiuk was instrumental in securing a $19.4 million expansion of VIDO and, just prior to his leaving VIDO, assembled the funding for the construction of a $140 million Level 3 biocontainment facility (InterVac) for work on infectious diseases.
The infrastructure was in place for the next vital step – the creation of a vaccine development company that would take Canadian vaccines forward from bench to market.
"As Director of research and then Director of VIDO, I was able to evolve the organization over 25 years so that it became a powerful centre for vaccine research and development. But that was only possible with a team of talented and dedicated people. Someone has got to have the vision, push for it, and facilitate the process and then let people do what people do best," says Dr. Babiuk.
"Our overall goal is to bring forward more technology from universities to benefit all of society – develop and bring to production the vaccines that are so badly needed."
"Our partners in the PREVENT initiative are vital in this process. As was my experience with VIDO, nothing happens without people and we have to be willing to work together. Success lies not only in scientific strength, but also in personalities. A brilliant scientist who is a prima donna will not achieve what a team can achieve together. Teams are much more powerful," he says.
"The partners are scientists who have worked together for a common goal for many years. We all know each other’s idiosyncrasies," says Dr. Babiuk, smiling.
"As team players, PREVENT welcomes new and promising players who will be co-partners in progress to reduce the many millions of needless deaths each year, in both our own communities and those throughout the world. In Canada, we have the minds and the will. It can be done."
