PROPOSAL
INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE
PROGRAM IN VACCINOLOGY &
IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
January 19, 2007
Executive Summary
Title of proposal: Interdisciplinary Program in Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics
Degrees: MA, MSc and PhD
Field of Specialization: Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics
Level of Concentration: graduate
Option(s): N/A
Degree College:
Graduate Studies
Department: N/A Home College: Graduate
Studies
Contact person(s) (name, telephone, fax, e-mail):
Dr. Bernhard Juurlink
PH: 306-966-2542
FX: 306-966-4298
Email: Bernhard.juurlink@usask.ca
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The objective of this program is to establish an exceptionally strong academic program, unlike
any other in North America, to educate the brightest trainees in the concepts underlying the basic
and applied sciences as well as social sciences aspects of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics.
Once the students are introduced to these basic concepts they will enter one of three streams:
1) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Societal Issues. The research in this area will involve
the complex social, health care, legal and ethical issues associated with vaccination and
other immunotherapeutics. Students in this program will receive an MA or PhD.
2) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Design & Production. The research in this area will
focus on the design and production of vaccines and other immunotherapeutics. Students
in this program will receive an MSc or PhD.
3) Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics: Scientific Bases. The major focus of research in this
area would be the science that underlies vaccines and other immunotherapeutics.
Students in this program will receive an MSc or PhD.
RATIONALE
1
Immunization was one of the most cost-effective infectious disease health interventions of the
20th Century. Besides infectious diseases, vaccines and immunotherapeutics have great promise
in treating diseases involving allergies, autoimmunity (e.g., type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis,
lupus) and cancer.
The University of Saskatchewan has externally-recognized strength in the science of
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics with the presence of VIDO and the Immunology and
Infectious Diseases Research Group. But without good vaccination and immunotherapeutic
plans in place, without public acceptance of such therapeutic interventions and without adequate
production capacity, it does not matter how good the science is and how efficacious the vaccines
and other immunotherapeutics are. The successful use of vaccines and immunotherapeutics for
public health needs an understanding of the risks (and perceived risks) and the ethical & legal
issues involved with treatment, an understanding on how to design effective clinical trials,
commercial aspects of the production of therapeutics. Although there is some strength at this
University in the area of latter issues in the area of biotechnology and technology in general, this
area needs strengthening. The V&I Graduate program will enhance the research on the basic
science underlying Vaccinology and immunotherapeutics and will act as a great stimulus in the
development of the areas of design and production of vaccines & other immunotherapeutics as
well as the societal aspects (ethical, legal, sociological, economic, public health policies) of
vaccinology & immunotherapeutics. It is anticipated that this program will be the impetus for
the University of Saskatchewan becoming a centre of excellence for all aspects of vaccinology
and immunotherapeutics
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
The program includes MSc, MA and PhD degrees with a research project culminating in a thesis.
There is no non-thesis option.
Program Outline and Program Streams
All students in the program, regardless of stream, will take two keystone multidisciplinary
courses. These courses are: V&I 801.3 (A Multi-Disciplinary Introduction to Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics) and V&I 990.0 (Seminars in Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics). Both
courses will deal with all facets of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics.
In addition, to the mandatory courses of Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics (V&I) 801.3 and
V&I 990.0), students will complete their course requirements in the different streams by taking
courses already offered at the University of Saskatchewan. One of these courses must deal with
research methodology: such a course may be literature driven where the research questions, the
addressing of research questions, the methodology and interpretation of data are critiqued or it
may be a formal research methods course such as, for example, SOC 841.6 (Advanced Research
Methods).
The program is organized in such a way that different students follow different streams within
the multidisciplinary Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program. These streams
are: 1) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Societal Issues, 2) Vaccinology
&Immunotherapeutic: Design & Production, and 3) Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics:
Scientific Bases.
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Since the degrees arising from this program are research thesis-based, students will also be
enrolled in one of the following the research courses:
V&I 994.0 – Research
Students registered in a Master’s thesis program must register for this course annually
throughout their entire MSc or MA program.
V&I 996.6 – Research
Students registered in PhD dissertation program must register for this course annually throughout
their entire PhD program.
VACCINOLOGY AND IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS PROGRAM GOVERNANCE AND
ADMINISTRATION
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is a multidisciplinary graduate
program under the umbrella of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. Governance and
administration of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program takes the following form.
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group
Includes all those on campus with interest and expertise in areas related to vaccinology and
immunology. Members are registered for five-year periods, renewable.
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is carried out by members of the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group. A General Meeting of the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group will be held once a year. Additional meetings can be held during the
year if required.
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee
Oversight for the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is the responsibility of a seven
(or eight) member Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee. The
membership, initially appointed by the Dean of the CGSR, will be elected by the full members of
Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Group. The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Executive Committee is the main policy body for the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Program. It sets the rules and regulations for the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program,
and ensures that these rules and regulations are carried out. The Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee is also responsible for communicating these rules and
regulations to the members of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group, as well as
receiving feedback from the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group on the Vaccinology
and Immunotherapeutics Program.
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Committee
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Committee carries out the day-to-day
operations of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program. The Chair of the Graduate
Committee (the Graduate Chair) has formal roles and responsibilities relating to the CGSR
Graduate Council, including the College’s Executive, Awards, Nominations, Master’s and Ph.D.
Committees. A complete description of the role of the Graduate Chair is provided in section 2.3
of the CGSR Policy and Procedure Manual. The Graduate Chair will be appointed by the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee. The Vaccinology Graduate
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Committee and the Vaccinology Graduate Chair are of critical importance in ensuring the
success of the Vaccinology Program and of individual students in the program.
The Vaccinology Graduate Committee has four members that are appointed by the Executive.
Given the large roles that VIDO and the University’s academic microbiology departments will
have in the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program, one of the members will be from
VIDO and one from an academic microbiology department
RESOURCES
Existing Resources
The physical resources to mount this program are already in place or are part of the University
plans (e.g., INTERVAC). The faculty resources are also in place, particularly in the sciences.
There are faculty in place who are interested in the societal aspects of vaccinology and
immunotherapeutics. It is expected that some academic departments will replace retiring
members with faculty able to take full advantage of this Graduate Program
New Resources & Budget
Total New Financial Resources Requested are outlined in Table 5. A one-time $207,000 and an
ongoing $33,000 are requested. The one-time support requested include graduate student
support ($150,000) and program advertising ($20,000). Ongoing costs include Half-time
Clerical Services Worker II ($17,000), program advertising, sessional relief costs, V&I 990
speaker costs, other administrative costs.
Vaccinology Program Drafting Committee
Dr. Bernhard Juurlink, College of Medicine
Dr. John Gordon, Veterinary Microbiology
Dr. Lorne Babiuk, VIDO
Dr. Lou Qualtiere, College of Medicine
Dr. Andy Potter, VIDO
Dr. Michael Mehta, Sociology
Dr. Allen Ross, Community Health & Epidemiology
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Proposal for New Program
to be approved by Academic Programs Committee and Council
1. PROPOSAL IDENTIFICATION
Title of proposal: Interdisciplinary Program in Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics
Degrees: MA, MSc and PhD
Field of Specialization: Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics
Level of Concentration: graduate
Option(s): N/A
Degree College:
Graduate Studies
Department: N/A Home College: Graduate
Studies
Contact person(s) (name, telephone, fax, e-mail):
Dr. Bernhard Juurlink
PH: 306-966-2542
FX: 306-966-4298
Email: Bernhard.juurlink@usask.ca
Date: August 4, 2006
Approved by the degree college and/or home college:
Approved by the Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Program Drafting Committee:
Proposed date of implementation: September 2007
2. TYPE OF CHANGE
Requiring approval by Council
X A new Degree-Level program or template for program.
3.
RATIONALE
The formulation of this Interdisciplinary Academic Graduate Program in Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics was in part driven by the recent and rather remarkable local, national and
international successes realized within the University’s Vaccine and Infectious Diseases
Organization (VIDO). Compounding these with parallel successes within other sectors of the
University has led to the incorporation within the Strategic Plan of the University of
Saskatchewan of a commitment of significant institutional resources to development around
themes relating to these accomplishments. This program represents the realization of one such
opportunity, an exciting one that will lead to the establishment of an exceptionally strong
academic program at the University of Saskatchewan, unlike any other in North America, to
educate the brightest trainees in the concepts underlying the basic and applied sciences as well as
social sciences aspects of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. We are proposing to have a
Graduate Program with three streams:
1) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Societal Issues. The research in this area will involve
the complex social, health care, legal and ethical issues associated with vaccination and
other immunotherapeutics. Students in this program will receive an MA or PhD.
5
2) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Design & Production. The research in this area will
focus on the design and production of vaccines and other immunotherapeutics. Students
in this program will receive an MSc or PhD.
3) Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics: Scientific Bases. The major focus of research in this
area would be the science that underlies vaccines and other immunotherapeutics.
Students in this program will receive an MSc or PhD.
The current proposal is relevant to the University’s goals of biotechnology and health research as
identified in the University’s strategic plan. This proposal will bridge both of these facets of the
University’s aspirations. Indeed, the President of the University of Saskatchewan has stated on
numerous occasions that infectious diseases will play a pre-eminent role in helping to achieve
the University’s goal. It is anticipated that the Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Graduate
Program will become internationally recognized attracting the top students from around the
world.
3.A. Background
3.A.1. Overview
3.A.1.1. Scientific Aspects: Chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease and stroke, cancer, and
respiratory diseases) are Canada’s leading cause of avoidable illness and death, but in the past
three years a number of emerging infectious diseases have come to the forefront in the list of
avoidable disease. For example, SARS has arisen only recently, yet its cost to the Toronto
economy alone has been estimated to be two billion dollars (J. Skinner and I. Levy, Discussion
paper prepared for the Canadian medical Association
[http://www.wma.net/e/pdf/sars_discussion_paper.pdf.]. In addition, the spectre of a catastrophic
influenza pandemic continues to pose a demonstrable risk to society. Cutting edge advances in
immunology and biotechnology have allowed us to make great strides in developing effective
vaccines and immunotherapeutics for some of our major diseases, and while we are on the edge
of success in dealing with others, for many of our most prevalent challenges we simply do not
have sufficient information regarding their biology to understand the best approaches to them.
Nevertheless, we do know that vaccination will be the most effective way to control many
infectious agents (and this is particularly true given the significant increases in antibioticresistant bacteria), and that successful immunotherapeutics will likely be our best approach to
many autoimmune, allergic, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer.
Immunization was one of the most cost-effective infectious disease health interventions of the
20th Century. Canada benefited greatly from the eradication of smallpox, elimination of polio
and measles, diphtheria, tetanus, mumps, rubella, and childhood invasion of H. influenza B
infection. The future even looks brighter with the recent licensure of new conjugated vaccines
against bacterial meningitis, varicella, and adolescent and adult pertussis. Similarly, recent
advances in immunotherapies for cancers, allergic and autoimmune diseases have brought
successful treatments for some of these within our grasp. The advent of genomics has further
enhanced our ability to understand the pathogenesis of such diseases, and this should
dramatically increase our ability to develop more effective immunotherapeutic approaches and
vaccines. Within five to ten years, additional new vaccines against infectious diseases, and
immunotherapeutic approaches to certain cancers, autoimmune diseases, and Alzheimer’s
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disease will undoubtedly be developed in Canada. This fits in well with the Executive Summary
of the 1998 WHO World Health Report, that stated “the future of infectious disease control is
likely to lie with vaccines rather than drugs.” Similarly, immunotherapy clinical trials are in
progress now for tolerization of various autoimmunities (e.g., type 1 diabetes, SLE) and
transplants, and proof of principle has been established recently by immunologists at the
University of Saskatchewan for full tolerization of asthma and for induction of tumour
immunity. Furthermore, inside pharmaceutical industry predictions forecast that immune and
inflammatory disease immunotherapeutics will account for 40% of the global pharmaceutical
market by 2010.
3.A.1.1.1. Current Areas of Strength: The University of Saskatchewan is currently training
graduate students in the broad areas of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics, with approximately
48 graduate students enrolled in various departments. A strong genomics program in
pathogenomics with researchers from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser
University, University of Calgary, and the University of Manitoba is in place. Furthermore, the
University of Saskatchewan Immunology and Infectious Diseases Research Group has solid
links with the immunology research groups at the University of Calgary, the University of
Alberta, the University of Manitoba, and Dalhousie University. This will provide a unique
opportunity for our students to interact with researchers from other universities. Having visiting
scientists spending significant amounts of time at the University of Saskatchewan is further
evidence of the need for, and attraction of, such a program. This will be truly unique and expose
our students to world-class experts in all aspects of immunotherapeutics and vaccinology.
Similarly, the Immunology and Infectious Diseases Research Group has established a visiting
speaker series that has in the past year attracted numerous Canada Research Chairs, some of
Canada’s leading immunotherapeutics researchers, and a Nobel laureate. The University is also
part of a new CIHR-sponsored training program in hepatitis C, as well as a new CIHR-sponsored
National Centre of Excellence in Allergic Disease (AllerGen). The University officially opened a
new $17.8 million addition to the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and in
January 2004 received an additional $1.14 million to fully equip the new facility. Both the
College of Medicine ($60M) and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine ($10M) are
building new research wings that will significantly add to our abilities and infrastructure in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. Infectious diseases is one of the research priorities of the
College of Medicine. Finally, the University was successful in a proposal to the Canadian
Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to build a $110 million Level III biocontainment facility
(InterVac) to facilitate work on infectious diseases. The Board of Governors has given approval
to move forward with this facility. In addition to this space, the University has the staff to deliver
this program. There are 21 PhD-level scientists and 23 post-doctoral fellows/research associates
dedicated to vaccinology at VIDO and approximately 37 more MD-, DVM- or PhD-level
clinician-scientists or basic researchers actively involved in biomedical aspects of vaccinology
and immunotherapeutics research in the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, the College of Pharmacy and
Nutrition, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Departments of Veterinary
Biomedical Sciences, Veterinary Microbiology, Large Animal Clinical Sciences. In addition,
there are a myriad of molecular biology, oncology, pathology and other research and support
personnel in the faculties of medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture, the Virtual College of
Biotechnology, as well as the social sciences and humanities. Thus, the physical and scientific
resources are in place to deliver a world-class program.
7
Finally, the Saskatchewan Research Council is working on the production of a Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA)-regulated product and has had its employees trained in good
manufacturing practice (GMP). The SRC is willing to assist in teaching students in the area of
fermentation, product isolation and GMP (communication from Amy Friesen – see Appendix 1).
3.A.1.2. Societal Aspects: There are societal concerns about vaccination and
immunotherapeutics. Students must also be attuned to societal concerns about the research they
are performing. Thus, in addition to the basic sciences, a top-level graduate program in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics must involve the social sciences and the humanities.
There are complicated social, health care, legal and ethical issues and other concerns, perhaps to
a greater extent than was ever the case before. For example, there are issues around
national/regional vaccination programs for public health purposes, cost-effectiveness of vaccines
and their accessibility (cost issues). There are questions on how to plan for pandemics: what
emergency measures should be in place, how is this to be coordinated, the stockpiling of drugs,
who are essential workers? Because of public concerns about possible adverse effects of
vaccination, there needs to be better communications on the risk/benefit aspects of immunization
and immunotherapy. Should there be a national policy on vaccination for immigrants (or even
visitors)? How to better explain the need for vaccination to Canadians who travel abroad to high
risk areas? There are ethical issues regarding voluntary versus mandatory vaccination and how
vaccines are manufactured (e.g., an issue for animal rights activists who may oppose the use of
animals or eggs for vaccine production). Issues as to what constitutes legitimate consent. Finally,
legal and economic issues, including management of intellectual property, need to be taken into
consideration for effective delivery of these products into the marketplace. The market also
requires strict attention to regulatory issues, such as good laboratory practices (GLP), etc. It is
apparent then that a graduate training program that broadly addresses the issues and questions
surrounding vaccinology and immunotherapeutics will need to be multidisciplinary in nature.
Our science graduates in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics will need to be versed in more
than the technical and commercial aspects of the technology they will be creating and deploying.
Similarly, social scientists with interests in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics need some
scientific grounding to effectively carry out their research.
In recent years, Canada has faced several emerging risk issues (e.g., blood safety, SARS) that
have strained our collective ability to respond to challenges to our health care system. Since
modern-day risks are both global and local simultaneously, a failure to understand and manage
such risks in a socially sensitive way creates a set of interconnected impacts on various kinds of
actors (e.g., trust of patients, consumer confidence, etc). Protecting Canadians and the global
community from the devastating effects of infectious diseases is contingent on the development
of effective risk management strategies. In this domain, the making of effective policy choices is
dependent upon, and constrained by, our understanding of relevant risk factors for infectious
diseases, including the detailed estimation of both the probabilities and full consequences of
potential harms.
Risk science has emerged as an important new discipline over the last two decades, offering
powerful qualitative and quantitative methodologies for the assessment and management of
8
health risks of concern to Canadians. A number of frameworks have been developed during this
period by a variety of agencies, providing comprehensive structured approaches for assessing
both the magnitude and consequences of risks falling within their mandates. Risk assessment has
traditionally focused on the analysis of chemical, biological and radiological hazards, but more
recently has expanded to consider the impact of the broad range of determinants of health on the
levels of risk experienced by specific populations and subpopulations. Historically, there has
been a heavy reliance on the statistical and epidemiological assessment of risk. More recently,
however, the recognition of risk as a social construct and the development of implicit theories of
perception of risk among the public, has emerged. This social perspective on risk takes into
account how the public evaluates the acceptability of risk, and how individuals make personal
risk management decisions. Risk management therefore requires an integration of risk decision
making in which objective assessments of risk, risk communication strategies, and risk
management policies are in congruence with subjective perceptions of risk, notions of risk
acceptability, and risk decision behavior of the public. The active participation of faculty in the
social sciences and humanities will assist students registered in this program to appreciate the
social environment in which medical innovations get introduced and utilized.
3.A.1.2.1. Current Areas of Strength There is externally recognizable strength in the area of
public health, ethical, legal and the sociological aspects of health and risk within the faculty in
the Sociology of Biotechnology Program at the University of Saskatchewan, Department of
Community Health & Epidemiology, the College of Law and the Department of Philosophy.
This on-campus expertise will assist faculty and students in this proposed program to better
understand how risk, ethics and the law play a central role in shaping public policy responses to
infectious disease control.
3.A.2. The Challenges:
3.A.2.1. Science: Vaccinology and immunotherapeutics research today is extremely complex,
such that it requires multidisciplinary approaches. Nevertheless, fundamental to both is an
understanding of how pathogens work, as well as the host factors that drive acute or chronic
disease processes, and those that protect us from these pathogens. The incredible successes in
vaccine development realized at the University of Saskatchewan’s own Vaccine and Infectious
Diseases Organization (VIDO) and elsewhere were based on knowledge gained, in each case,
from years of dedicated investigative immunopathogenesis and pathogenomics studies, as
attested to by the more than 600 basic and applied immunobiology and biotechnology research
publications that have arisen from VIDO in the past 35 years. And this does not begin to
mention the reports from all of the other University of Saskatchewan units studying basic disease
pathogenesis and immunobiology, and pathogenomics. As we gain more information about the
basic biology of our own immune responses, as well as that of our as yet still challenging
diseases, we move closer to managing them effectively.
The proposed V&I Graduate program will enhance the research on the basic science
underlying Vaccinology and immunotherapeutics and will act as a great stimulus in the area of
design and production of vaccines and other immunotherapeutics.
3.A.2.2. Societal Aspects: As noted above, immunotherapeutics and vaccines are important not
only in disease control but becoming increasingly important in the context of social, economic,
legal and political issues. In this context areas of study may include the following:
9
1)
An effective ethical-legal framework for the conduct of
immunotherapeutics and vaccines research.
2) Effective ethical-legal and policy-making structures that enforce and
monitor legal rights of trials.
3) Immunization contestation about the relative risks/side effects - the role
of uncertainty and trust.
4) Major social issues in cost for developing countries, and adequacy of
supply.
5) Economic studies of vaccine development and delivery.
6) The reasons for limited number of vaccine manufacturers in the market.
7) National research agenda and policy framework in domestic and global
immunotherapeutics and vaccines.
8) Developing a resource allocation model to support immunotherapeutic
and vaccine program decisions in developing countries.
9) Strategies for optimizing the usefulness of immunotherapeutics and
vaccines to maximize social equity.
10) Ethical-legal framework to promote the welfare of immunotherapeutics
and vaccines trial participants.
11) Liability for vaccine-related harms and the impact of potential liability on
development, marketing etc.
12) Consent issues in vaccination programs (legal and ethical perspectives)
13) Regulatory standards and controls on research and manufacturing; harmonization of
regulation (legal and policy perspectives)
The proposed V&I Graduate program will enhance research activities on campus on the societal
aspects of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. It is anticipated that these activities will grow
such that the university of Saskatchewan will be a centre of excellence for such scholarly work.
3.A.2.3. Overall Comments: To maximize the potential for vaccines and immunotherapeutics
for maintenance and improvement of health, Canada must have:
(1) an excellent base of researchers with the funds and facilities to fully investigate the
immunology, pathobiology and pathogenomics of our diseases and to develop new and improved
products. Students must be able to access faculty expertise in a wide range of subject areas, and
they must be exposed to a variety of approaches and techniques. The recent Sixth Report of the
National Biotechnology Advisory Committee stated that “there will be a shortage of people with
combined scientific specialties such as peptide chemistry, gene therapy, bio-informatics,
production and scale-up, and formulation which is exacerbated by the emigration of key
researchers.” By developing a multidisciplinary team environment, we hope to develop these
collaborative and complementary skills in our trainees.
(2) an effective clinical vaccine and immunotherapeutics trials network able to evaluate the
safety and efficacy of candidate approaches.
10
(3) expert investigators working in areas of public health, epidemiology, and health services
research to model the impact of proposed treatment programs and to determine their costeffectiveness; and,
(4) social scientists studying the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of vaccine and
immunotherapy recipients and providers, and the cultural determinants of vaccine and
immunotherapy acceptability (e.g., risk perception). Thus, the development of these approaches
involves much more than simply elucidating disease pathogenesis, the underlying protective
immune mechanisms, or identifying antigens: students need to be exposed to a broader array of
experiences.
The current multidisciplinary program is designed for the potential development of all of these
opportunities.
3.A.3 Summary Assessment of Strengths:
In short, the University of Saskatchewan and partners have a presence in all the areas required to
do state-of-the-art research in all aspects of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. Due to their
multidisciplinary nature, these are not the domain of a single department or organization, nor do
they rely solely on the fundamentals of immunology, but rather require the integrated knowledge
of people with expertise in pathogenomics, cell and molecular biology, fermentation technology,
epidemiology, ethics, law, risk assessment, computational science, engineering, and pharmacy,
as well as the disciplines of infectious disease.
Indeed, given its broad base of programs in these areas, the University of Saskatchewan is
ideally suited to be leader in graduate student training and research in the area of vaccinology
and immunotherapeutics. We have had a significant historical impact in controlling infectious
diseases by developing a vaccine against Western equine encephalitis in the 1950s; more
recently, seven different vaccines have been developed by VIDO. Furthermore, investigators at
the Saskatoon Cancer Centre have developed cutting edge immunotherapeutic approaches for the
treatment of cancers (which are currently in clinical trials), and other sectors at the University of
Saskatchewan have successfully developed effective trial immunotherapies for allergic and
inflammatory diseases. There is also recognizable strength in the area of public health, ethical,
legal and the sociological aspects of health and risk within the faculty in the Sociology of
Biotechnology Program at the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Community Health &
Epidemiology, the College of Law and the Department of Philosophy. This on-campus expertise
will assist faculty and students in this proposed program to better understand how risk, ethics and
the law play a central role in shaping public policy responses to infectious disease control.
3.B. Enrolment Projections
3.B.1.1. Scientific Bases and Design & Production Streams: The recent Sixth Report of the
National Biotechnology Advisory Committee stated that “there will be a shortage of people with
combined scientific specialties such as peptide chemistry, gene therapy, bio-informatics,
production and scale-up, and formulation which is exacerbated by the emigration of key
researchers.” By developing a multidisciplinary team environment, we hope to develop some of
these collaborative and complementary skills in each of our trainees.
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The number of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows/research associates pursuing their
training directly in the area of the biomedical aspects of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics is
given in Table 1. Employment prospects for past graduates have been very good, with a
placement rate of 100%. Indeed, in some sectors, headhunters call on a regular basis to identify
potential candidates for various positions nationally and internationally. A number of our
graduates have gone on to be Canadian Foundation for Innovation awardees at other institutions.
Based upon the number of graduate students currently carrying out research using VIDO
facilities (15 MSc and 19 PhD students), it is anticipated that in five years there will be 45-50
students enrolled in the “Scientific Bases” stream. There is developing interest in Vaccine
Design & Production and it is anticipated that in five years there will be at least 6 students in this
stream and considerable growth of student numbers over the next five to ten years.
3.B.1.2. Societal Issues Stream: This interdisciplinary program will provide training for
graduate students with interests in this area enrolled in the Departments of Economics,
Philosophy, Political Studies, Sociology and Community Health & Epidemiology at the
University of Saskatchewan. Such students are likely to have interests in areas such as the
sociology of biotechnology, health policy, science, technology and society studies, and medical
sociology. Components of this program will also be of interest for students doing an MBA in
Biotechnology or graduate degrees through the School for Public Health. It is anticipated that
within five years there will be at least 6 students in this stream with increased growth in
subsequent years. Continued growth in student numbers is anticipated in the subsequent five to
ten years because of increasing student awareness of this program and because of the relevance
of vaccines and other immunotherapeutics to public health.
4. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
The program will follow the University template for MSc and PhD students with a requirement
for course work for both degrees as well as a research project culminating in a thesis. There will
not be a non-thesis option. Students will be able to take the program on a fulltime or part-time
basis, though part-time students would likely not qualify for scholarships and research awards.
4. A. General Admission Procedures
All students will need to meet the University of Saskatchewan’s Graduate Studies requirements
with regards to entry into the program. Thus, students will need to have at least a 70% average in
the last 60 credit units of their previous programs for entry into an MSc or MA program and at
least an 80% for PhD program. Secondly, for non-English speaking students, a TOEFL score of
550 or an equivalent measure of English proficiency will be required. The Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program will follow the guidelines of the College of Graduate
Studies and Research.
All students admitted to the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program will be provided
with funding (minimum two years for MA/MSc students and three years for PhD students). In
the short term this will come from CGSR Graduate Scholarships, external scholarships, research
funding and a one-time funding from the Academic Priorities Fund. In the long term, this will
come from CGSR Graduate Scholarships, external scholarships, research funding and, hopefully,
CIHR Training grants. The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Committee (see
12
below for further details on this Committee) will be responsible for making admission
recommendations to the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR). Admission
recommendations will be based on the applicants’ academic record, letters of reference and on
the ability to secure funding for the student from the proposed supervisor (and/or the
supervisor’s unit, department/college or external scholarship support).
Students will be required to select a Program of Study in consultation with their major supervisor
and Advisory Committee members. These courses will be designed to make up any deficiencies
they might have, as well as to provide them with the knowledge and expertise they require for
their research program. MSc/MA students will normally take 9 CUs and PhD students will take
12 CUs of graduate courses. However, depending on each student’s background and needs, these
credit unit requirements could be increased. Decisions on the elements of the Program of Study
will be done on an individual basis, taking into consideration the student’s area of interest as
well as their previous training.
To meet their seminar (990) requirement, students will be required to attend the weekly
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics seminars that are held throughout the year. Graduate
students in their senior year will be required to give a seminar on their thesis research. Students
will also be required to attend regularly-scheduled journal clubs for at least 1 year in the case of
an MSc student and 2 years as a PhD student. The journal club discussions will focus on
sociology of immunization, commercial aspects of vaccine production and distribution, applied
clinical and epidemiology, public health, molecular biology, pathogenomics, and vaccinology/
immunotherapeutics, with each topic being covered consecutively. However, each session will
try to incorporate all areas as much as possible so as to ensure that students are continually
thinking about the broader implications of their research.
As well as meeting with their immediate supervisors on a regular basis, students may be required
to participate in regularly-scheduled team meetings of various programs in which experimental
objectives and experimental design will be discussed. This experience will provide students with
a stimulating environment of constructive criticism and more opportunities to collaborate on
specific aspects of other projects where they have interest or expertise. Students gain an
understanding of the importance of teamwork, as well as in helping understand experimental
design for projects beyond their own single project. Furthermore, faculty and staff will provide
input into presentation and communication skills.
If students wish to transfer from an MSc to a PhD program, they will be required to pass a
qualifying examination. This qualifying exam will be in the form of defense of a PhD thesis
proposal. For a PhD candidate, an oral comprehensive exam will be required after coursework is
completed.
4. B. Program Outline and Program Streams
All students in the program, regardless of stream, will take two keystone multidisciplinary
courses. These courses are: V&I 801.3 (A Multi-Disciplinary Introduction to Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutics) and V&I 990.0 (Seminars in Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics). Both
courses will deal with all facets of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. Descriptions of these
courses are presented in Table 2.
13
In addition, to the mandatory courses of Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics (V&I) 801.3 and
V&I 990.0), students will complete their course requirements in the different streams by taking
courses already offered at the University of Saskatchewan. A list, although not complete, of
possible courses is given in Table 3. One of these courses must deal with research methodology:
such a course may be literature driven where the research questions, the addressing of research
questions, the methodology and interpretation of data are critiqued or it may be a formal research
methods course such as, for example, SOC 841.6 (Advanced Research Methods).
The program will be organized in such a way that different students could follow different
streams within the multidisciplinary Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program.
These streams are: 1) Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics: Societal Issues, 2) Vaccinology &
Immunotherapeutic: Design & Production, and 3) Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics:
Scientific Bases. Examples of course requirements for some of these streams are given in Table
4. In addition, as mentioned above, components of the Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics
Graduate Program will be of interest to students carrying out graduate programs in Business
Administration in Biotechnology or in Public Health.
Since the degrees arising from this program are research thesis-based, students will also be
enrolled in one of the following research courses:
VI 994.0 – Research
Students registered in a Master’s thesis program must register for this course annually
throughout their entire MSc or MA graduate program.
VI 996.6 – Research
Students registered in PhD dissertation program must register for this course annually throughout
their entire PhD research graduate program.
New Courses To Be Developed in the Future
As the Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program progresses we anticipate the
development of several new courses. Within the biomedical sciences these could be:
VI 830.3 – Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
A course similar to the distance-learning course in vaccinology which was previously
coordinated by the University of Nebraska (with lectures by experts from across North America,
including the University of Saskatchewan) will be developed here at the University of
Saskatchewan. This course had been approved as a Special Topics course at the University of
Saskatchewan for a number of years. We propose to formalize it as a course in the Vaccinology
and Immunotherapeutics program.
VI 840.3 – Host and Pathogen Genetics
Genetics of host resistance to pathogens
Genetics of virulence of pathogens
Genetics of susceptibility to cancer and allergies
Genetics of transplant rejection
14
Mechanisms of resistance – innate and immune
How effector molecules of pathogens interact with the host
Evolution of resistance or susceptibility in host populations
Some thoughts on delivery of course – guest lectures, combination of student seminars
and guest lecturers
VI 841.3 - Immunopathogenesis of disease
What is known and not known about host-parasite relationships
Immune responses vs protective immune responses
Parameters that discriminate between protective and non-protective
Immune responses
5. VACCINOLOGY AND IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS PROGRAM GOVERNANCE
AND ADMINISTRATION
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is a multidisciplinary graduate program
under the umbrella of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. Governance and
administration of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program takes the following form.
5. A. Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is carried out by members of the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group. Faculty/Scientists with active research programs
and with academic or research interests in vaccinology or immunotherapeutics who work at the
University of Saskatchewan or any of the federal or provincial agencies or private sector
laboratories on campus, are eligible to become members of the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group. More specifically, membership in the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group is open to anyone who:
• Provides significant course instruction in the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program.
• Has supervised a graduate student in the areas of interest to the vaccinology and
immunotherapeutics program within the last 10 years.
• Has made major contributions to areas of interest to the vaccinology and immunotherapeutics
program on campus through their research efforts.
• Contributes significantly to the vaccinology and immunotherapeutics program either through
journal clubs, course development, or supervisory committee activity (i.e., new recruits are
welcome).
Two types of membership may be granted in the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group:
1. Associate Membership is granted to individuals who have a principal interest in vaccinology
or immunotherapeutics, but are not presently engaged in active research or teaching in the
field of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics.
2. Full Membership is granted to individuals who are currently involved in research or teaching
specifically related to areas of interest to vaccinology or immunotherapeutics program.
3. Nominations, including self-nominations, to the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Group
will go to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and appointments will be
made for five years, and will be renewable. Initially, terms will be staggered between one
and four years to ensure continual membership. When a permanent governance and
15
administrative unit is in place nominations for this Group will go to the Director or
equivalent.
The mandate of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group is to:
• maintain the academic graduate program in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics at the
University of Saskatchewan
• promote and facilitate research in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics
• promote public awareness and engage in community communications on important issues in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics
• work cooperatively and collaboratively with all academic or other units participating in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics and address difficulties when they arise in matters
involving shared resources.
Qualified members of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group who are members of the
College of Graduate Studies and Research are eligible to serve as supervisors for students
enrolled in the MA, MSc and PhD programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics. These
members will be actively engaged in research across a broad spectrum of vaccinology and
immunotherapeutics sub-disciplines. A list (still incomplete) of individuals interested in the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program is provided in Appendix 3.
A General Meeting of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group will be held once a year.
Additional meetings can be held during the year if required.
5. B. Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee
Oversight for the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is the responsibility of a seven
(or eight) member Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee. The
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee is the main policy body for the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program. It sets the rules and regulations for the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program, and ensures that these rules and regulations are
carried out. The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee is also responsible
for communicating these rules and regulations to the members of the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group, as well as receiving feedback from the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group on the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program.
The membership of the Executive Committee shall be drawn from the following academic areas:
(1) one member from clinical sciences or epidemiology; (2) one member from law, commerce,
economics, philosophy or sociology, 3) one member from an academic microbiology
department, 4) one member designated by the Immunology and Infectious Diseases Research
Group, and 5) one member from VIDO. In addition, if there are significant numbers of graduate
students in the V&I program not from the five academic areas listed above, one member
appointed by the Executive to represent that area. Finally, the Dean, CGSR (or his/her
designate), and a leader from the University will also be appointed to the Vaccinology Executive
Committee. The Executive initially will be appointed by the Dean of the College of Graduate
Studies and Research but thereafter will be elected by the Full Members. Normally the members
of the Executive will serve for a term of three years; however, an exception is made for the
members of the first Executive.
16
Towards the end of the first year one of the academic members of the Executive will be chosen
by lot for his/her term to end. The Executive will then call for nominations from the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group members in the area represented by this Executive
member. The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Group membership will then vote for the
representative from that academic area who will serve for a period of three years. Towards the
end of the second year, two of the members of the Executive will be chosen by lot for their terms
to end. The Executive will then call as above for nominations in the area represented by these
Executive members, and the membership will then vote for the representative from these
academic areas who will serve for a period of three years. Towards the end of the third year the
term of the remaining original members of the Executive will have come to an end and the
Executive will call for nominations in the academic areas of these Executive members. The
membership will then vote for the representative from these academic areas who will serve for a
period of three years. Following this, during each year one or more members will have their
term coming to an end. The Executive will call for nominations from the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group in the specific academic area(s) followed by a vote of the
Vaccinology Group membership.
5.C. Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Committee
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Committee carries out the day-to-day
operations of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program. The Chair of the Graduate
Committee (the Graduate Chair) has formal roles and responsibilities relating to the CGSR
Graduate Council, including the College’s Executive, Awards, Nominations, Master’s and Ph.D.
Committees. A complete description of the role of the Graduate Chair is provided in section 2.3
of the CGSR Policy and Procedure Manual (available at
http://www.usask.ca/cgsr/administration/index.html). The Graduate Chair will be appointed by
the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Executive Committee. The Vaccinology Graduate
Committee and the Vaccinology Graduate Chair are of critical importance in ensuring the
success of the Vaccinology Program and of individual students in the program.
A key role of the Graduate Committee will be to match eligible students with supervisors and to
ensure that funding is available for the students before an offer of acceptance into the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program is made. To enact this role, the Graduate
Committee will need to work closely with the members of the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Group to confirm the appropriate funding.
The Vaccinology Graduate Committee has four members that are appointed by the Executive.
Given the large roles that VIDO and the University’s academic microbiology departments will
have in the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program, one of the members will be from
VIDO and one from an academic microbiology department
6.
RESOURCES
Preamble: The University of Saskatchewan is strategically positioned to be able to develop a
world-class program in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics with the presence of all the health
science colleges plus engineering, agriculture, law, sociology, philosophy and commerce all on
one campus. The University of Saskatchewan is home to VIDO, a very successful research
17
institute focusing primarily on vaccine development and delivery, and has multiple laboratories
dedicated to cutting edge immunotherapeutic research. On the University campus is also the
Saskatchewan Research Council that is interested in enhancing the area of vaccinology &
immunotherapeutics. Furthermore, the interactions of the University’s researchers with national
and international infectious disease and immunotherapeutics programs provides external support
for exposure of our students to world leaders in vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. It is not
the intent that the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics graduate program will replace any of
the graduate programs already in place in our microbiology departments. However, some of the
faculty in these departments will be involved in various aspects of the new program, including
teaching, supervision, and management and, in this sense, there will be a redeployment of
resources.
There are faculty in the social sciences and humanities units on campus that have an interest in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. These academic units include Law, Commerce,
Sociology and Philosophy. Currently there are approximately 48 graduate students on campus
that are working in the broad area of the science of vaccinology and immunotherapeutics. Many
of these students are formally registered in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology. The
creation of a Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program may mean some loss of graduate
students for Veterinary Microbiology and other departments on campus. However, given the
expertise in Veterinary Microbiology and the other departments, it is clear that many students in
the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program will end up working with faculty in these
departments. This type of shift is also going on in other parts of campus, where faculty are
increasingly supervising graduate students that are “outside” their department (the students are
often in interdisciplinary programs). To recognize this trend, CGSR has indicated that
departments that have faculty that supervise students in interdisciplinary programs will be given
credit for this work. This credit takes the form of counting all students supervised by the
department’s faculty (including those students that are in interdisciplinary programs) when
determining the amount of devolved scholarship funds that the department will receive.
6.A. Existing Resources
The physical resources to mount this program are, for the most part, already in place. The
University of Saskatchewan has three distinct microbiology departments (Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Applied Microbiology & Food Science,
Department of Veterinary Microbiology), each with experienced and qualified faculty and wellequipped labs. In addition, expertise that is useful to a graduate program in vaccinology and
immunotherapeutics is present in other units such as Chemical Engineering, Pharmacy &
Nutrition, Saskatoon Cancer Centre, Saskatchewan Research Council, VIDO, etc. When the new
research additions to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Medicine
are completed, and the level 3 facility, INTERVAC, becomes operational, the program would
gain access to even more advanced facilities and equipment.
The faculty resources are also in place, particularly in the sciences. It is expected that some of
our academic departments will replace retiring members with faculty able to take full advantage
of INTERVAC, and these new faculty will further strengthen the program. Indeed, Infectious
disease is a research priority of the College of Medicine as well as the Department of
Microbiology and Immunology. Furthermore, the most recent recruit (November, 2006) to the
Department of Microbiology & Immunology carries out research in the area of infectious
18
disease. We have faculty in place who are interested in the societal aspects of Vaccinology and
immunotherapeutics.
6.A.1. Graduate Teaching Facilities
Many of the courses that will be included in the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program
are being taught in numerous lecture theatres and teaching laboratories rooms across campus. In
addition, VIDO has multiple new meeting/lecture rooms and a lecture theatre for 200; these
facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment.
6.A.2. Infrastructure
Currently, all departments and institutes that will participate in the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Program have laboratories, offices, and equipment. Approximately 100,000
sq. ft. of research space is available at VIDO, and 1470 sq. ft. of new research space is under
construction at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as 173,000 sq. ft. of new
research space has been approved for construction within the College of Medicine. Thus, the
equipment and laboratory space, as well as the support staff will be available to provide a very
strong graduate program in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics. In addition, the University
was successful in obtaining approval for a new $110 million level III biocontainment facility.
Library and other resources are already in place. Thus, no new infrastructure will be required.
6.A.3. Visiting and Associate Faculty
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics program, by nature of its structure, does not directly
appoint visiting faculty, clinical faculty, or associate faculty. These appointments, if they occur,
are usually associated with home departments or colleges where the research facilities are
located. VIDO is developing a program to encourage scientists on sabbatical to spend their year
on campus. Facilities are available for hosting such visiting faculty.
6.A.4. Support Staff
The University of Saskatchewan has numerous units, departments and colleges that can provide
support for graduate student training. The classes to be offered within the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics program are currently being taught by these departments and colleges, and
thus have support staff in place.
19
6.B. New Resources
Total New Financial Resources Requested are outlined in Table 5. A one-time $207,000 and an
ongoing $33,000 are requested.
6.B.1. Graduate Student Support
As this is a multidisciplinary initiative, care must be taken to ensure its ongoing success. The
University has an unfortunate history of inadequately supporting interdisciplinary and
multidisciplinary programs, which then may flounder as the original enthusiasm of proponents
wanes. CGSR has modified its own regulations to support this kind of initiative, but this will not
be enough. Accordingly, a modest request of $150,000 (one-time) is made to initiate this
program and to ensure that it fulfills its promise as one of those graduate programs for which the
University of Saskatchewan is noteworthy. The source of funding is the Academic Priorities
Fund and, since it is anticipated that the first cohort of students would be admitted in the fall of
2007, funds should be available in the 2007-08 budget year.
6.B.2. Half-Time Clerical Services Worker II - $17,000
Since this is to be an interdisciplinary program, some administrative assistance is required (much
like that available to support the individual student interdisciplinary programs managed by the
Interdisciplinary Committee of CGSR). PCIP will be approached to fund, through the Academic
Priorities Fund, this half-time position on an ongoing basis. This position would be housed
within CGSR if possible.
6.B.3. Course Development & Sessional Relief Costs for V&I 801.3& V&I 990.0 and
Graduate Chair - $11,000
Only the Sessional relief will be ongoing. These monies will be used to buy teaching relief for
faculty heavily committed to teaching components of V&I 801.3 and organizing V&I 990.0. One
of the ongoing costs of the program will be the compensation offered to the academic unit from
which the Graduate Chair/Program Coordinator is selected. Normally, these costs would be
borne by the academic unit mounting the graduate program. Since this is an interdisciplinary
program, PCIP is being asked to fund, through the Academic Priorities Fund, this cost on an
ongoing basis.
6.B.4. Compensation to Director - $3,000
We propose to compensate the Director of the Multidisciplinary V&I Graduate Program by 0.5
CDI to base salary. 0.5 CDI as an administrative stipend and $1,000 increase to the Professional
Allowance.
6.B.5. Multidisciplinary Seminar-$6,000
Most of these monies will be used to bring in visiting speakers for the V&I 990.0 course. Some
of the monies will be used to supply coffee for V&I 990.0. Students in the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics graduate program will be working in departments and laboratories in
various locations across campus. It is important that these students and the faculty who
supervise them come together on a regular basis to present and discuss critical papers and their
own work. Normally, these costs would be borne by the academic unit mounting the graduate
program. Since this is an interdisciplinary program, an ongoing budget to organize and support
20
the seminar is essential. PCIP is being asked to fund this item through the Academic Priorities
Fund.
6.B.6. Program Advertising Costs
Funding of $20,000 has been budgeted in the first year for advertising and recruitment, and of
$1,500 in continuing years for advertising and recruitment.
7. RELATIONSHIP AND IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTATION
The greatest impact of this program will be on the graduate students who wish to pursue training
in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics. The proposed graduate program in Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics is unique in that it provides graduate students an opportunity to be exposed
to a variety of different disciplines in one institution and to interact with top-level national and
international scientists and experts through the linkages that have been and will be developed. As
outlined at the beginning of this document, Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics students
increasingly require exposure and an understanding of a wide range of topics in science, medical
science, social science and the humanities.
The Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics program will provide opportunities for increased
interaction between the various groups of faculty and researchers on and off campus that are
currently working on Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics and their related issues. To date,
much of the work in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics done at the University of
Saskatchewan has been somewhat segmented. A greater deal of cross- and inter-disciplinary
work is required to meet the challenges inherent in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
research. The structure of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program should facilitate
such cross-cutting work. As is often the case, graduate students and their thesis work become the
mechanism by which faculty and researchers are brought together.
Students in the proposed program will get an appreciation of the importance of academic
excellence, as well as the linkages and teamwork critical in both academia and the commercial
arena. The ability to work with a wide variety of people is important in today’s multidisciplinary
environment and is increasingly being demanded by both academia and industry. Since all of our
students will receive exposure to the commercial mindset or interact directly with commercial
companies, they will become familiar with confidentiality agreements, research planning, Gantt
charts, and the importance of achieving set milestones. Thus students choosing to enter academia
will already have the tools to establish and maintain relationships with industry and to participate
in university–industry-type programs supported by the Federal Government. By having alumni
in industry, governments, and academia, the University is also able to establish strong
partnerships with all sectors of the biotechnology industry. One of the reasons graduates from
the University of Saskatchewan are so highly sought after is that they have been exposed to a
collaborative research program in an entrepreneurial environment. This is considered to be
critical for the success of the knowledge-based economy that Canada hopes to build in the 21st
Century.
21
This proposal was developed by the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program Drafting
Committee. This Committee is comprised of those researchers on campus that have an interest in
vaccinology and immunotherapeutics and in the training of students in the area of vaccinology
and immunotherapeutics. A list of the members of the Drafting Committee is provided in
Appendix 3. The draft program was the result of numerous discussions that have taken place on
campus over the last number of years about creating a vaccinology program. The draft program
was revised and approved by the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program Drafting
Committee.
8.
BUDGET
Because of a one-time major graduate student support request, the budget for the first year would
be $207,000. The budget for the remaining years would be $33,000/annum.
Graduate Student Support
Year 1
$150,000
Continuing
Unspecified-students considered as
part of regular CGSR
competitions
Clerical Services Worker Phase II (half-time)
$17,000
$17,000
Course Development Costs
$5,500
Sessional Relief Costs
$5,500
$5,500
Remuneration for extra duties of the Director
$3,000
$3,000
Multidisciplinary V&I 990.0
$6,000
$6,000
Advertising
$20,000
1,500
Total $207,000
$33,000
22
APPENDICES
Attached:
List of New Courses
Memorandum of understanding between CGSR and VIDO
Letters of Support:
SRC, Provost & VP Academic, Dean of Veterinary Medicine, Dean of Arts & Science
College Statement
Additional appendices available from the Office of the University Secretary:
Lists of faculty and scientists interested in participating
Keystone courses
Lists of courses which could be used in the program
Vaccinology program drafting committee
Some examples of program streams
List of New Courses
VI 801.3 A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Calendar description:
This multidisciplinary course gives an overview of the science, commercial
production including good laboratory and manufacturing procedures as well as
regulations, sociology, public health, legal and ethical aspects of vaccines and
immunotherapeutics development, production and administration.
Rationale for introducing this course:
This course will be a mandatory keystone course for the new Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Graduate program
VI 990.0 Seminars in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Calendar description:
This seminar-based course will have weekly seminars and the occasional workshop
during terms 1 and 2. Seminar will be given by invited speakers both local and from
elsewhere. In addition, graduate students in their final year of study will present their
research findings. This seminar series will be multidisciplinary dealing with
commercial production including good laboratory and manufacturing procedures as
well as regulations, sociology, public health, legal and ethical aspects of vaccines and
immunotherapeutics development, production and administration.
Rationale for introducing this course:
This course will be a mandatory keystone course for the new Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics Graduate program.
23
Letter from SRC
From: "Friesen, Amy" <friesen@src.sk.ca>
Date: November 5, 2006 12:28:11 PM GMT-06:00
To: Bernhard Juurlink <bernhard.juurlink@usask.ca>
Subject: SRC contribution to Vaccinology program
Hi Bernie,
Thank you for the invitation for the Saskatchewan Research Council to participate in the
Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Graduate program. SRC has experience in working with
vaccines regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and in the past, we have brought in
GMP trainers for our employees. Using this expertise, SRC would be pleased to assist with the
Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics Graduate program, in collaboration with our University
colleagues. The areas where we could best contribute are: vaccine development, microbial
fermentations, mammalian cell culture process development, and protein purification.
Sincerely,
Amy Friesen
Amy Friesen, M.Sc.
Research Scientist
Fermentation Technologies
AgBiotechnology Branch
Saskatchewan Research Council
15 Innovation Blvd.
Saskatoon, SK S7N 2X8
Tel: (306) 933-7920
Fax: (306) 933-7299
24
University Secretary's Office
Memorandum
TO:
Bernie Juurlink, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology
Associate Dean Trevor Gambell, College of Graduate Studies & Research
FROM:
John Rigby, Chair, Planning Committee of Council
DATE:
Jan 17, 2007
RE:
Notice of Intent for graduate programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
The Planning Committee discussed the Notice of Intent for graduate programs in Vaccinology
and Immunotherapeutics at its November 29, 2006 meeting. Thank you for attending this
meeting to provide us with additional information about the notice. We have the following
suggestions for additional information to be included in the final proposal document.
1. Linkages with departments in Medicine and in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine,
with VIDO, and with the School of Public Health
The Planning Committee wants to ensure that the linkages between these graduate programs and
existing graduate programs, and with existing research centres, be identified and discussed. The
consultation process for the development and coordination of the programs should be described.
2. Faculty resources
The relationship between the College of Graduate Studies & Research and the researchers at
VIDO should be clarified with respect to graduate student supervision and teaching.
3. Graduate program array
The final version of the proposal should describe how the graduate programs in this area fit into
the overall graduate program array at the University.
______________________________
cc:
Dean William Albritton, College of Medicine
Dean Charles Rhodes, Western College of Veterinary Medicine
ASSOCIATE DEAN
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Academic Programs Committee
FROM:
Trevor Gambell, Associate Dean, CGSR
DATE:
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
RE:
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Programs
____________________________________________________________________________________
The proposal for graduate programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics includes
M.Sc., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. They are interdisciplinary programs which, in the
interim, will be administered through the College of Graduate Studies and Research.
The proposal first came to the Joint Master’s and Ph.D. Committee on November 21,
2006. The Joint Committee considered the proposal to be well-prepared and could be
recommended for approval with some suggestions to strengthen the proposal, as follows:
1. It was not clear whether students could take the program on a part-time basis or
whether fulltime study was required.
Response: both part-time and fulltime status is possible.
2. There is no course requirement in any of the programs for a research methods course.
The Committee deemed this to be highly unusual for a research program.
Response: It is quite common for science graduate programs not to specify of research
methods course. Research methods are usually dealt with in a course that covers current
literature.
3. There are MBA courses listed as electives, and these are subject to special tuition
assessments. Recommendation that a statement appear beside these courses to the effect
that “This course will incur an additional program cost of $1,300.”
Response: This will be done.
4. There was concern expressed by the Committee whether students can enter the
program directly from a Master’s degree and take just three additional credit units.
Response: If a student has a M.Sc. from a recognized university, they can enter directly
into the Ph.D. program, but if not or if entering from a B.Sc. program, the student will
need to enter initially into a M.Sc. program and then the student can transfer into the
Ph.D. program if certain academic standards are met.
5. A concern was expressed that the proposal was under-costed; that is, the request to
PCIP was too low. Where would the funding come from to hire a Director?
Response: The Director would be a person equivalent to a Department Head. There is
only a small amount of reimbursement to Department Heads, and this should be budgeted
for.
With these changes, the Committee made and carried a motion to approve the
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics program.
The motion of approval then went to the Executive Committee on December 14, 2006.
Members of this Committee were not persuaded by the rationale for there being no need
for a required research methods or design course, and sent the proposal back to the Joint
Committee with the motion “The Committee does not approve the proposal and is not
persuaded by the rationale for there being no core research methods course.” The motion
was sent back to Dr Bernard Juurlink for his response, and to the Chair of the Joint
Committee for its re-consideration of the proposal.
Response: Dr Juurlink indicated that the program can be revised to state that in addition
to the two core courses, all students must take a graduate course that deals with research
methodology. This satisfied the Joint Committee, which on January 17, 2007 reviewed
the concerns of the Executive Committee and the responses from Dr Juurlink, and
reaffirmed its previous motion to approve the programs with the added requirement for a
graduate course in research methods or design. The Executive Committee then met on
January 18, 2007 and made and carried a motion to approve the programs as per the
added requirement noted by the Joint Committee and proposed by Dr Juurlink.
Graduate Council then approved the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics programs on
January 29, 2007 with no further changes or comment.
The College of Graduate Studies and Research has awaited these program proposals for a
long time, since these types of programs in vaccinology, immunology, and the social,
public health and welfare, and sociological implications of such research and application
offer great potential for graduate study and research, and also because the expertise exists
on this campus for such programs, with the U of S in a potentially strong position to be a
world leader in this field. The programs offer to fulfill the CGSR College plans in three
ways: interdisciplinary programming; growth of graduate students and programs; and
growth the doctoral studies and studies in particular.
Trevor Gambell
Associate Dean
College of Graduate Studies and Research
Office of the University Secretary
212 College Building 107 Admin Place
Saskatoon, SK Canada S7N 5A2
Phone: (306) 966-4632 Fax (306) 966-4530
MEMORANDUM
TO:
John Rigby, Chair, Planning Committee of Council
FROM:
Trever Crowe, Chair, Academic Programs Committee of Council
DATE:
April 30, 2007
RE:
Program proposal for graduate programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
At its April 13, 2007 meeting, the Academic Programs Committee discussed the Subcommittee
Report on the proposal for new graduate programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics. The
Subcommittee had discussed the program at several meetings and had met with the proponents.
In conclusion, they endorsed the program as academically sound, noting that this will be a unique
program in Canada.
Professor Desautels provided information to APC about discussions on the following points:
1. Oversight of the program and its relationship of the program with the School of Public Health:
Dean Wishart told the Subcommittee that the program will be a CGSR program until the School
of Public Health is approved; at that time, it will become one of the three core programs of that
school.
2. Handling of the graduate scholarships and other budget issues: The graduate scholarships
fund requested is going to be used as a start-up fund over several years, and will be for new
students. The School of Public Health will have funding for initial seminar presentations. VIDO
has agreed to contribute funding toward a clerical position for CGSR to manage this
interdisciplinary program. .
The Committee approved the following motion:
That the proposal of the College of Graduate Studies and Research for graduate programs in
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics be recommended for approval.
_______________________________
MEMORANDUM
TO:
John Rigby, Chair
Planning Committee of Council
FROM:
Alison Renny, Chair
Budget Committee of Council
DATE:
April 30, 2007
RE:
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program Proposal
______________________________________________________________________________________
A joint subcommittee of the Academic Programs Committee and Budget Committee met on March 22,
2007, to consider the proposed graduate programs in Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics, and
subsequently met with program proponents on April 12th. The subcommittee considered the proposal to be
academically sound and well developed. Budgetary issues considered related to graduate student funding,
student recruitment, and program support.
At the April 26, 2007, Budget Committee meeting, the following motion was carried:
Motion: “That the Budget Committee receive the joint subcommittee report on the Vaccinology and
Immunotherapeutics graduate program proposal, and recommend approval of the proposal to the
Planning Committee. “
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have regarding the committee’s deliberations.
_______________________________________
Alison Renny, Chair, Budget Committee of Council
c C. Fornssler
Attach: Subcommittee Report
JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
Academic Programs Committee and Budget Committee
Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Program Proposal
Members: Academic Programs Committee: Michel Desautels (Chair), Chary Rangacharyulu; Budget
Committee: Ramji Khandelwal, Ed Kendall; Resource: Jim Spinney, Sandra Calver (Secretary)
The joint subcommittee met on March 22, 2007, to consider the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics
Graduate program proposal and subsequently on April 12, to review the proposal with the program
proponents. The meeting on April 12th was attended by Bernie Juurlink, Acting Assoc. Dean, Basic
Sciences, College of Medicine; Tom Wishart, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research; and
Bruce Reeder, Special Advisor to the Provost on the School of Public Health. The program was
commended from an academic viewpoint; however, there were a number of questions regarding the
program administration and budget. A summary of the discussion with the proponents on these points
follows.
The relationship of VIDO to the program was clarified by proponents. VIDO will be a major contributor to
the program, in terms of both program content and instruction, but is not intended to have academic
oversight over the program. The program is proposed as an interdisciplinary program to be administered
and housed within the College of Graduate Studies and Research until the School of Public Health is
created, at which time the program will then become one of the School’s core graduate programs.
Presently, the CGSR manages several interdisciplinary programs.
The subcommittee clarified that the $150,000 requested for graduate student funding would be start-up
funds, to be deployed over the first years of the program, rather than just in year one. The intent is that by
the fourth year of the program offering, the program would have enough students to become part of the
devolved scholarship program within the CGSR. The program is meant to attract new students, particularly
from the social sciences and in the area of vaccine design production. Current students in Veterinary
Microbiology who are just starting their research work at VIDO could conceivably transfer into the
program. Students that are far enough into their current program are unlikely to do so and will be
encouraged to complete their program under their present arrangement.
Proponents noted the program scope is unique and not replicated elsewhere in Canada. Difficulty in
recruiting high-quality students is not foreseen, although with program approval coming late in the year,
recruiting students for a fall start this year will be more challenging. Regardless of program quality and
uniqueness, the subcommittee agreed an important component of student recruitment is advertising. In
light of the intent to recruit new students to the program, rather than rely upon the transfer of an existing
cohort, the subcommittee suggested the advertising budget of $20,000 may be inadequate, and suggested
this figure be revised upwards. The subcommittee also considered the seminar budget to be low, but was
informed the existing seminar series within VIDO will be made available to students within the program.
The proposed clerical support provided by VIDO was clarified as an additional 0.5 fte graduate secretary to
be housed within the College of Graduate Studies and Research, and eventually transferred to the School of
Public Health. With respect to the sessional relief and stipend sought for the Director/Graduate Chair, this
was clarified to be sessional relief meant to backfill any faculty member time to develop specialized
courses within the program. The stipend to the Graduate Chair is not unique as far as interdisciplinary
programs are concerned. It is meant to help recruit a Faculty member to that position in providing some
funding for a graduate student to help the Graduate Chair carry his/her functions.
…2
The Steering Committee for the School of Public Health has worked closely with the Vaccinology Program
Drafting Committee over the past year. The fit of the program within the School of Public Health was
outlined as a core program within the school, which would align well with the school’s other graduate
program offerings and the infectious disease epidemiology courses available through the school. In
general, it is envisioned the school will contribute towards rounding out the social science aspects within
the program.
The subcommittee noted that many of the budgetary concerns result from consideration of the program as a
stand-alone program. With the planned integration of the program within the School of Public Health,
many of the administrative and budgetary aspects of the program will be folded within the overall
administrative structure for the school. Members supported this approach. With respect to the overall
budget, the key point is that appropriate level of funding be provided to sufficiently resource the program,
not only in its start-up phase, but on an ongoing basis.