About Us

Being ready for viral threats requires ongoing, integrated research efforts from surveillance and risk assessment to discovery and manufacturing.

With the transformative investment from the Government of Alberta, researchers at the U of A established "SPP-ARC" to support biomedical research. The program includes over 40 faculty members and more than 200 trainees working across the disciplines of virology, immunology, biochemistry, structural biology and chemistry.

SPP-ARC focuses on the assessment, discovery and development of medical countermeasures such as vaccines, antibodies and antiviral drugs. This work is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a recently opened cryo-EM facility, an upgraded Biocontainment Level 3 laboratory and fill-finish manufacturing capabilities housed in the Alberta Cell Therapy Manufacturing facility.