$25M to support research into emerging animal diseases

Guelph, ON – The Ontario government is providing $25 million for the animal health lab at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) for research into emerging diseases such as avian flu and West Nile virus.

“We welcome this exciting news,” says Elizabeth Stone, OVC dean. “The university and OVC are extremely grateful for this infrastructure funding, and we look forward to working with government to advance our knowledge and our leadership in research on these important health concerns.”

The newly announced funding will support the existing plan for the upgrade of the OVC facilities. This includes new diagnostic units and state-of-the-art equipment to aid researchers in identifying and managing new and emerging diseases that pose challenges. “An improved ability to diagnose infectious diseases will have great impact on the Canadian agriculture industry,” she says.