$1.2 million for CWD and BSE studies at U of S

Dr. Trent Bollinger

Two U of S-based research studies targeting chronic wasting disease (CWD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were among 19 national projects that received a total of $8 million in new funding from PrioNet Canada on May 7.

• A collaborative research team led by Dr. Trent Bollinger of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Pathology will receive $750,000 over the next three years to continue work in creating a national strategy for minimizing the spread of CWD among wild deer. Bollinger’s co-investigators include scientists from WCVM, the U of S Department of Biology and the University of Alberta.

• Dr. Andrew Potter, director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) and his collaborators will receive $445,000 toward the development of a BSE vaccine for cattle to ensure that Canadian herds are protected against the prion disease.

PrioNet Canada, part of the Networks of Centres of Excellence Canada program, brings together the country’s top scientists involved in investigating prion diseases like BSE, CWD and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.