MONASH’S MRNA VACCINE
MONASH University’s Professor Colin Pouton is developing a Covid-busting mRNA vaccine which, in October, will move to clinical trials.
Just like the manufacturers of
Pfizer and Moderna, versions of the vaccine to beat the Kappa, Delta and Beta strains are being developed and tested on mice.
The Monash jab is part of an attempt to set up an mRNA vaccine production plant in Australia.
The mRNA vaccine will be trialled in 150 people in conjunction with a second protein-based Covid vaccine developed by the Doherty Institute.
Preliminary results should be available in the first half of 2022.
The Victorian Government has contributed $50 million towards establishing an mRNA manufacturing plant in the state and, of that, $5 million will support the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) to manufacture doses of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine for trials.
Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy,
Jaala Pulford said the proposed manufacturing plant could have applications beyond vaccines.
“There is an opportunity that exists in cancer treatment to be able to provide cancer therapeutics to patients that are patient specific, so a bespoke treatment for a particular tumour,” she said.
A Belgian company will make the mRNA vaccine overseas for the October clinical trial and a local pharmaceutical manufacturer in Australia will do some of the formulation, packaging and vial filling here.