The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a combined sum of $40 million (£32 million) to support the endeavors of two African vaccine manufacturers and a Belgian biotechnology company in the creation of innovative mRNA vaccines.
This initiative encompasses the prestigious Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal and the South African-based biopharmaceutical firm, Biovac.
Each of these entities will be granted $5 million to procure mRNA vaccine research and manufacturing technology developed by the Belgian company Quantoom Biosciences.
This technology is designed to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of mRNA vaccine production.
Quantoom Biosciences itself has been allotted $20 million to further advance its research and manufacturing technology for vaccines, with the potential to further decrease the production costs of mRNA vaccines.
The remaining $10 million is expected to be allocated to other vaccine manufacturers.
As part of this funding arrangement, these organizations will engage in research and development efforts focused on vaccines for global diseases, including those that are prevalent in Africa.
Dr. Amadou Sall, the Head of Institut Pasteur, has stressed that this funding marks a crucial and essential stride toward achieving vaccine self-sufficiency in the region.