Gary Kobinger

Eradicating the Ebola virus

Dr. Gary Kobinger, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the director of the Research Centre on Infectious Diseases at Université Laval and co-winner Dr. Xianngguo Qiu at the National Microbiology Laboratory developed both a vaccine to prevent the devastating Ebola virus and a drug to treat those already infected. Dr. Kobinger developed the vaccine when he was an associate professor at the University of Manitoba.

The VSV-EBOV vaccine and the ZMapp treatment were so effective in preventing the spread of Ebola that clinical trials were fast-tracked, allowing distribution to start without delay, possibly saving thousands of lives.

ZMapp was provided under compassionate emergency protocols to over 25 first responders infected on the line of duty. All of them but one recovered.

Find out more: Université Laval >

*Gary Kobinger is a 2018 co-winner of the Governor General’s Innovation Awards and was one of 14 Innovators to Know invited to Ottawa by Universities Canada on Feb. 24, 2016 to meet with high school students, science policy makers and Parliamentarians.