Public Health Agency of Canada Statement on Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt Award to National Microbiology Laboratory

OTTAWA, Jan. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - The Public Health Agency of Canada would like to acknowledge the National Microbiology Lab's Dr. Kobinger and his Special Pathogens team in Winnipeg as recipients of the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt for 2016. Presented by Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt is one of the highest honours the province of Manitoba can bestow on individuals and is awarded for excellence in leadership, service, sports and community commitment.

Dr. Gary Kobinger, Chief of Special Pathogens at the Agency's National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), is being recognized on behalf of his team, for their exceptional work and commitment to combat the Ebola virus, a disease that has had a devastating impact in West Africa. Under Dr. Kobinger's leadership, the Special Pathogens team has helped establish the NML as a world leader in infectious disease research and helped to revolutionize the world's approach for treating highly infectious diseases.

Canadians can be proud of the team at the National Microbiology Laboratory for their efforts in the global fight against diseases like Ebola. Their contribution to the development of one of the leading Ebola vaccine candidates (VSV-EBOV) has the potential to save thousands of lives, giving hope that Ebola outbreaks will soon be a past concern.

VSV-EBOV is an experimental Ebola vaccine discovered by researchers at the NML in Winnipeg and is the product of more than 10 years of scientific research by the Special Pathogens team and their predecessors.

Applied research, including developing new treatments and vaccines for diseases of national public health interest, is one of the core functions of the Agency's National Microbiology Laboratory. Through laboratory leadership, the NML is dedicated to the protection of Canadian and global public health and can provide assistance to countries that lack the facilities to safely develop treatments against deadly viruses that affect their populations.

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

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