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The Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) National Microbiology Laboratory Branch (NMLB) is Canada’s infectious disease laboratory, responsible for diagnostic and reference testing (microbial and viral); infectious disease surveillance; and basic and applied research. At the intersection of outbreak preparedness and response, and basic and applied research, is the NMLB’s mandate to research and develop medical countermeasures (MCM). MCMs include diagnostics, preventative measures (prophylactics) such as vaccines, as well as therapeutic measures such as antivirals, monoclonal antibody treatments, novel compounds, and/or repurposing of existing treatments for novel challenges.
As new MCMs are being developed, initial tests must be done using pre-clinical studies which require cells, tissue samples, and/or animal models. If the results of these initial tests are promising, MCM development then progresses to clinical trials. A pre-clinical laboratory environment permits MCM products, in early stages of development, to be tested in appropriate animal models before proceeding to clinical trials in humans and subsequent regulatory approval. While several collaborators support the advancement of the MCM portfolio in Canada, the NMLB focuses on pre-clinical MCM projects while partners in academia and private laboratories focus on clinical stages of the research.
To support this important work, the NMLB is proceeding with a project to construct an MCM facility adjacent to the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The proposal for the facility includes space for a Containment Level 2 laboratory, a Containment Level 3 laboratory, a biobank for curated infectious materials, animal breeding care, and containment space to hold research animals required to support MCM Research & Development activities .
