By Catherine Murombedzi
The World Health Organization (WHO), Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), and Sinergium Biotech have launched a new project to advance mRNA vaccine candidates against H5N1 for low- and middle-income countries, writes Catherine Murombedzi quoting a WHO Press release.
The key objectives are to:
● Develop and share mRNA vaccine technology
● Establish proof-of-concept in preclinical models.
This will help to accelerate the development and accessibility of H5N1 vaccine candidates.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General, said that this will foster greater research and development in low – and middle-income countries
“This initiative exemplifies the mRNA Technology Transfer Program’s goal to foster greater research and development in low – and middle-income countries,” said Dr Tedros.
The Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) said the project was a demonstration of commitment to pandemic preparedness.
“This project demonstrates a strong commitment to pandemic preparedness and response,” Charles Gore.
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa of the Pan American Health Organization said the announcement highlights the importance of geographic diversification in research and innovation.
“This announcement highlights the importance of geographically diversifying innovation and production.”
Simplifying what mRNA is:
“mRNA is a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.
It plays a crucial role in protein production and is a key component in mRNA vaccines, which instruct cells to produce specific proteins to fight diseases.”
Dr Alejandro Gil, Chief Executive Officer of Sinergium, said, “Sinergium’s enhanced capacity and readiness to apply our expertise to H5N1 will play a vital role in this effort towards global pandemic preparedness. I would also like to thank Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) who have also been instrumental through the strong support it offers to regional manufacturers in the Americas. We are excited to tackle this public health challenge and our R&D team will continue to work closely with the Programme Partners.”
The commitment shows the importance of synergies cutting across geographic boundaries as a vital role in global pandemic preparedness.
Avian influenza viruses pose a significant public health risk.
This initiative supplements ongoing work under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework
The mRNA Technology Transfer Program aims to improve vaccine equity globally.
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