28 July 2021 | News
BioNTech is evaluating end-to-end mRNA vaccine production capacities in Africa
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German biotech firm BioNTech SE has announced the start of its malaria project which aims at the development of a safe and highly effective malaria vaccine and the implementation of sustainable vaccine supply solutions on the African continent.
The company’s project is part of a programme by the kENUP Foundation to accelerating the eradication of Malaria. This goal was out of reach so far, despite enormous financial and public health efforts of the global community. The scientific and entrepreneurial progress made during the COVID-19 pandemic raise hopes that a highly efficacious vaccine could soon help to eradicate Malaria.
BioNTech aims to develop a safe and highly effective mRNA vaccine with durable protective immunity for prevention of malaria and disease associated mortality.
To this end, BioNTech will assess multiple vaccine candidates featuring known Malaria targets such as the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), as well as new antigens discovered in the pre-clinical research phase. The most promising mRNA vaccine candidates will be selected for clinical development.
The start of the clinical trial for the first vaccine candidate is planned for 2022.
Established mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacities in low and lower middle income countries could be used for the production of various mRNA-based vaccines, once they have been successfully developed and approved.