The Toronto Infectious Diseases Laboratories (TIDL), housed at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, is equipped to safely study pathogens that cause infectious disease, and was among the first labs in Canada to enable researchers to work with SaRS-CoV-2 samples.

While similar facilities elsewhere had closed after the 2003 SARS outbreak, the U of T lab remained open – supporting a vast research community including academic, hospital and industrial research needs – and was able to make a significant contribution to understanding and addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Toronto is bringing together researchers, pharmaceutical innovators and government partners to address gaps in Canada’s biomanufacturing ecosystem and discuss solutions for public health challenges such as COVID-19.

In order to contain a virus, it’s important to know exactly what you’re dealing with – and the COVID-19 coronavirus is no different.

New findings from Temerty Faculty of Medicine researchers may help explain why SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can cause more severe inflammation and lung tissue damage than a regular, seasonal influenza virus.

In less than three months, a small lab at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health is helping healthcare providers validate their mask reprocessing processes by testing the efficiency of filters at capturing fine particles.