mRNA Victoria announced today that the developers of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will establish a clinical R&D center in the Asia-Pacific region.

The center enables Victorian and Australian researchers to advance the next generation of mRNA vaccines and therapies. The R&D center aims to facilitate partnerships on scientific mentoring, business development advice and drug design.

Once operational, the facility will manufacture next-generation mRNA treatments and vaccines for research and clinical trials. This includes potential infectious diseases, cancer medicines and personalized cancer treatments. It will form part of BioNTech’s global network to attract demand for Melbourne’s clinical trial expertise, according to a news release.

Establishing its first Asia-Pacific R&D center in Melbourne helps BioNTech provide state-of-the-art drug development and research capabilities to the local ecosystem, the company said. A partnership with the Victorian State Government allows BioNTech to collaborate with medical researchers. This further accelerates medical breakthroughs and the translation of research into commercial products.

BioNTech also plans to establish its AI-driven early-warning platform in Victoria. Through this, the company aims to ensure Australia sits at the forefront of global identification and response to future pandemics.

“A major step forward,” BioNTech CEO says

“Science and innovation can only make a difference if it is applied outside of the laboratories and reaches people worldwide,” said BioNTech co-founder and CEO Uğur Şahin. “This partnership is a major step forward to enable access to mRNA technology and promote collaboration. Australia provides excellent academic research, and we are looking forward to collaborating with world-class scientists and researchers to strengthen Australia’s mRNA ecosystem and jointly develop novel treatments and vaccines for people worldwide.”

The Victorian State Government recently agreed with Moderna to establish population-scale commercial mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Melbourne. According to the release, Victoria now represents the first location in the world to host manufacturing facilities for the world’s two leading mRNA companies. The government’s investment in medical research since 2014 totals $1.3 billion. This added more than 100,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs to the state’s biotech sector.

“This is a very significant development for medical research in Melbourne and the Asia-Pacific region,” said mRNA Victoria CEO Michael Kapel. “BioNTech will accelerate the capability of the research community to translate their critical R&D into clinical outcomes at pace and scale.”