International pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Moderna has officially opened its Regional Research Centre and headquarters in Melbourne to boost the mRNA industry in Victoria.
The new headquarters provides a base of operations for Moderna to work with Victoria’s world-leading medical research institutes and clinical trial networks, ensuring Victorians will be some of the first people in the world to trial new mRNA medicines for a range of health conditions.
Opened this week by the Victorian state minister for industry and innovation, Ben Carroll and a delegation of Moderna executives from Boston, USA, the centre and headquarters were said by Mr. Carrol to send a strong signal to the world that Australia is at the leading edge of mRNA research and development.
Dr Craig Rayner, Director of Moderna’s Asia-Pacific Regional Research Centre for Respiratory Medicines and Tropical Diseases, said that the centre has huge potential.
“By being embedded within a world-leading research and clinician community, we see huge potential in being able to innovate and accelerate life-changing mRNA medicines to patients together,” he said.
While the Research Centre will largely focus on respiratory medicines and tropical diseases to boost the mRNA industry, its first strategic collaboration is a $3 million (US$1.92 million) Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator with the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Parkville, Victoria.
The Monash-Moderna Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator (MMQPA) will help fast-track the development of mRNA medicines for diseases by using advanced computer models to foresee the effects of treatments.
While the Headquarters and Regional Research Centre comprise part of Moderna’s investment in Victoria, once their mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Clayton, Victoria, is complete, it can produce 100 million vaccine doses per year.
Monash University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Engagement) and Senior Vice-President Doron Ben-Meir said, “This partnership between Moderna and Monash complements Monash’s ever-evolving RNA and quantitative pharmacology ecosystem, which continues to play a significant role in placing Australia at the forefront of drug discovery, development and innovation in new medicines for a broad range of diseases.”
The Andrews Labor Government invested $12.3 million in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 to develop mRNA technology and builds on the $1.3 billion investment in medical research since 2014.
While Victoria is responsible for almost 60 percent of Australia’s pharmaceutical exports, the biotech sector generally supports more than 100,000 full-time jobs.
