From discovery to delivery

In the heart of Halifax, the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) has quietly become one of Canada’s most influential voices in vaccine advocacy and clinical research. From leading pivotal clinical trials to shaping national immunization strategies, CCfV’s work has helped bring life-saving vaccines to Canadians. 

One such vaccine prevents respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can cause severe illness in infants and older adults, who are at higher risk for complications such as pneumonia, and hospitalization, and in severe cases, death. In September 2025, it was announced that the RSV vaccine would be rolled out for seniors over 75 and infants in Nova Scotia—work supported by CCfV and just one example of CCfV’s impact and influence. 

With the launch of the Dalhousie-led specialized research and biomanufacturing facility, GMP BioLabs East in 2027, the region is poised to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into real-world solutions—ensuring that breakthroughs in the lab reach patients faster than ever before.  

Building a collaborative centre for vaccine research

The CCfV was founded in the early 1990s as a collaborative effort between Dalhousie University, IWK Health, and Nova Scotia Health. Led by director Dr. Scott Halperin, its origins lie in a shared vision to advance vaccine research and public health, beginning with a focus on pediatric infectious disease clinical trials. 

Over time, CCfV expanded its scope to include adult infectious diseases, reflecting the evolving landscape of vaccine science and the growing needs of the community. The Center has played a leading role in establishing national research networks, such as the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), and is deeply involved in vaccine research, policy, and implementation across the country and globally with collaborators in India, China, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

From the outset, CCfV was designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. The Center brought together experts in basic science, clinical evaluation, and social science, creating an environment where laboratory discoveries could be rapidly translated into clinical practice and public health policy. 

Dr. Joanne Langley is the Division Head of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics and Scientific Director of the Vaccine Evaluation Group at CCfV. She has been a member of the CCfV team from the beginning and recalls how the idea was to create a place to unite people from diverse backgrounds.  

“It began in 1992 as a centre where you would bring a lot of different people together who are involved in the evaluation of vaccines. Dr. Halperin grew that idea and brought a lot of us along.”

The Center operates through three interconnected research groups. The Discovery Group focuses on developing new vaccines and understanding their mechanisms in the laboratory. The evaluation group designs and conducts clinical trials to assess vaccine safety and efficacy across all age groups. The Policy, Programs, and Implementation Group examines how vaccines are implemented, how policy is shaped, and how programs are evaluated.

Over the last two decades, the Center has expanded in several ways, including the establishment of a clinical trials group.

“Our clinical trials group expanded to act as an academic-based contract research organization,” says Dr. Halperin. “We work with small biotech companies that need help bringing a vaccine through the clinical trial process, and we’ve also done studies with multinational vaccine manufacturers, like the RSV work.”

CCfV worked closely with provincial health departments and national advisory bodies to ensure that evidence generated from trials translated into meaningful policy changes. 

“Our work helped socialize the local environment to RSV vaccines, increasing readiness and accessibility,” says Dr. Langley. “We advised provincial health departments, provided data on hospital admissions, and influenced policy changes, such as the introduction of RSV vaccines for older adults and infants.” 

Accelerating vaccine testing

One of CCfV’s most innovative contributions to vaccine research is its Challenge Unit, one of only two in Canada. Thanks to funding from the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and a contribution by Sanofli, this specialized facility allows researchers to study immune responses by exposing volunteers to controlled infections, dramatically reducing the time and scale required for vaccine testing.  

“The Challenge Unit lets us test new vaccines more efficiently than large field studies,” says Dr. Halperin. “For example, COVID vaccine efficacy studies enrolled 40,000–50,000 people to get a couple hundred cases, but in a challenge study, we can expose 100 people and get the same answer.”

Participant's view from a bed in the Challenge Unit. (Photo: Ryan Wilson, IWK)

Thanks, in part to the Challenge Unit, CCfV has established itself as an advocate for evidence-based vaccine policy, maternal immunization, and pandemic preparedness. It pioneered trials that shaped national policy, perhaps most notably, with pertussis, more commonly referred to as whooping cough. 

“We were one of the first places to do a trial in pregnant women with the pertussis vaccine, which led to the policy now recommending all pregnant women get that vaccine in Canada, the US, and the UK,” says Dr. Halperin. “This work paved the way for broader maternal immunization studies, such as the RSV research from its earliest stages and early-phase studies for the meningococcal vaccine, which is now given to all infants.”

The Center's research has also played a key role in informing pharmacy vaccination programs and understanding public perceptions. This work helped identify operational challenges, such as workload issues for pharmacists, and provided evidence that supported policy changes. As a result, pharmacists were able to take on a major role in vaccine delivery during the pandemic, improving accessibility and expanding immunization capacity across communities.

CCfV’s role in the pandemic extended beyond informing pharmacy vaccination programs. They were instrumental in national networks such as CIRN, which shaped high-priority research, and actively contributed to COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. At the same time, government at all levels relied heavily on the expertise of CCfV investigators, who served on advisory councils and committees, providing critical guidance that influenced pandemic management strategies and vaccine rollout. Their leadership ensured evidence-based decisions were made swiftly, reinforcing CCfV’s position as a trusted authority during one of the most challenging public health crises in recent history.

In 2023, CCfV’s national leadership was recognized with a $1 million grant from biopharma company GSK, aimed at strengthening their research capabilities and attracting top talent. This private funding will help expand CCfV’s staff, enhance training and facilities, and further propel vaccine research and pandemic preparedness. 

Readiness for tomorrow 

While the pandemic showcased CCfV’s expertise, it also revealed gaps in Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity. 

Enter GMP BioLabs East. 

“Canada was behind during the pandemic because we lacked capacity and technology,” says Dr. Halperin. “With the GMP facility, CCfV is really trying to participate in a national strategic plan of readiness, so that when there is a crisis, vaccines can be produced. That’s what these facilities are guaranteeing—they will be there for Canada.”

When producing pathogens for challenge studies, the CCfV team must meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards, like those required when making a drug or vaccine. Because the process was costly, they aimed to manage it themselves. This led to their interest in GMP manufacturing at a small academic level.

“There isn’t really a store where you can go and buy challenge strains,” says Dr. Langley. “To do that, you need a laboratory that works under good laboratory practice and good manufacturing practice to develop the challenge strain.”

Dalhousie’s GMP facility will enable CCfV to manufacture high-quality challenge strains and small-scale vaccine batches locally, keeping intellectual property in Canada and reducing reliance on U.S. facilities. 

“If we have something that comes out of the lab that looks like it should be moving towards clinical trials, we can make the batch of that vaccine under GMP conditions,” says Dr. Halperin.  

Beyond research, GMP BioLabs East will offer fill-and-finish services, where GMP products are put into sterile vials—a critical bottleneck during the COVID-19 pandemic—and create high-tech jobs in Nova Scotia. 

By investing in local biomanufacturing and collaboration, CCfV is strengthening Canada’s readiness for future health challenges. Together, the Human Challenge Unit and GMP BioLabs East position CCfV—and Atlantic Canada—at the forefront of vaccine innovation, ensuring faster, safer, and more equitable access to life-saving immunizations.