Gates Foundation investing $40M to help African manufacturers produce mRNA vaccines

The Gates Foundation announced Monday that it will invest $40 million in several African manufacturers to produce and provide access to mRNA vaccines on the continent.

In the releaseThe foundation says the initiative builds on its 20-year collaboration with vaccine manufacturers to “leverage recent scientific advances to develop low-cost, high-quality health tools that can reach more people around the world.” It is based on lessons learned from.

The $40 million investment will advance Quantoom Biosciences’ research platform developed through an early research Grand Challenges grant awarded to parent company Univercells.

Experts say mRNA technology, which has been central to the production of COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna during the pandemic, could be a potential game-changer against a range of infectious diseases affecting people in poor countries. I think there is.

According to the announcement, Africa-based vaccine manufacturing companies Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) and Biovac will each receive $5 million in funding from the foundation, with $10 million going to others who have not yet been named. It will be distributed to manufacturing companies.

Quantum Biosciences will receive $20 million from the foundation to ensure “LMICs can benefit from next-generation mRNA health tools.”

Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Human Services and a world expert on vaccines, said: “By putting innovative mRNA technology into the hands of researchers and manufacturers in Africa and around the world, we can help more people. will now be able to benefit from next-generation vaccines.” said in a statement.

“This collaboration is an encouraging step to increase access to critical medical technologies and help African countries develop vaccines that meet the needs of their populations.”

The announcement came as the foundation launched its three-day Grand Challenge event, an annual conference that brings together public researchers and scientists from around the world.

Founded in 2000 by Bill Gates and his then-wife Melinda Gates, the Gates Foundation is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to fighting poverty, disease, and inequality around the world.