CSIRO's 'missing link' lab to develop Aus vaccine pipeline

Researchers at CSIRO’s newly opened National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab will turn vaccine and drug candidates into products that can be manufactured in large quantities for clinical trials. The ability to do this in Australia, rather than needing to go overseas, has been the ‘missing link’ in Australia’s biomedical science sector being able to produce vaccines and drugs here.

The $23.1 million lab follows a successful pilot facility in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when CSIRO scaled up vaccine candidates that had been developed onshore as part of a national strategy to combat this emerging threat. The facility was completed with funding from the federal and Victorian governments and was officially opened last week by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, who said investing in skills and infrastructure is key to strengthening Australian manufacturing.

“Australia’s competitive advantage in manufacturing lies in high-value, high-quality products where competitiveness, productivity and quality can be enhanced through advanced manufacturing processes and systems,” Husic said.

“This new National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab exemplifies the translational role our national science agency plays in Australia’s biomedical ecosystem. It will help vaccine and drug candidates get ready for commercial production by Australian industry for local and global markets.

“As the newest member of Australia’s National Labs network, the facility will bring our research and university sector together with local startups and small to medium enterprises to ensure great Australian ideas make it out of the lab and reach those that need it quickly and safely.”

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the new lab would lift Australia’s ability to protect its people and grow new industries.

“We created the pilot facility in anticipation of disease ‘X’ — an expected but unknown disease that might impact us. It turned out to be COVID-19,” Marshall said.

“The past two years have highlighted the importance for Australia to have a robust sovereign capability in the development of vaccines and therapeutics, so we scaled it up into one of our shared National Labs.

“The problem facing our biomedical industry has been that most vaccine and drug candidates needed to be sent overseas to be produced in large quantities for clinical trials, adding burdensome costs that have crushed many Australian businesses and researchers as the invention languishes on the lab bench.

“This new shared National Lab will help Aussie companies bridge that ‘valley of death’ — the gap between the lab bench and making a product that’s having an impact on people’s lives.”

The new lab provides a significant boost to Australian translational research capacity and advanced manufacturing in biotechnology to benefit SMEs, startups and the research sector. Research Director for Biomedical Manufacturing Professor Susie Nilsson said the facility is available to companies and researchers around the country as another of CSIRO’s National Labs.

“This new lab has been designed and constructed in accordance with the current licensing requirements of the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to produce a variety of biologics, including recombinant proteins and peptides, and viral products,” Nilsson said.

“Our team at the lab will produce drugs in partnership with local industry and enable our partners to progress to both phase one and phase two clinical trials in Australia, and also has the necessary accreditation for Australian companies to participate in clinical trials globally.”

Companies interested in working with the new facility should contact 1300 363 400.

Image ©Nick Pitsas

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletters and bimonthly magazine.