CEPI partners with Afrigen to accelerate development and access to mRNA vaccine
CEPI and Afrigen Biologics have teamed up on an innovative project to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines. Funded with $2.05 million, this project will investigate the use of optimised synthetic DNA as an alternative to traditional plasmid DNA, with the potential to reduce vaccine development times by up to three times.
Afrigen, a leading South African biotechnology company in the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, will explore whether synthetic DNA, produced in just ten days and at lower cost, can speed up the production of vaccines for emergencies. The partnership supports CEPI’s 100-Day Mission, which aims to reduce vaccine development timelines to just over three months to address pandemic threats.
If successful, synthetic DNA technology could accelerate the availability of vaccines in clinical trials and get them to those most in need faster. In addition, this collaboration strengthens local vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa, aligning with CEPI’s strategy to diversify global production capabilities.
Commitment to equitable access to vaccines is central to CEPI’s work, and this project is also committed to ensuring that results are available to the global scientific community and that vaccines are accessible to at-risk populations.
Learn more about this innovative collaboration: https://lnkd.in/ejHCkzEf
