NSW Govt support to advance mRNA research

As part of its COVID-19 response, the NSW Government has announced support for the state’s leading universities, research institutions and hospitals to further advance mRNA research, development and manufacturing capabilities. The goal is to reinforce NSW as a world leader in the combat of infectious diseases, and establish the state as the natural home for any joint state–federal initiative.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the action included the formation of a new NSW RNA Bioscience Alliance — a partnership across all NSW universities — and support for a new $15 million NSW RNA Production and Research Network. The Alliance and Network will work closely with a new $25 million RNA institute, established by UNSW Sydney.

“The pandemic has shown that an investment in mRNA vaccine manufacturing and RNA research is an investment in the health and safety of our community,” the Premier said.

“A strong and supported RNA industry will ensure NSW remains a world leader in the development of medical technologies and therapeutics to combat everything from pandemics to cancer and genetic diseases.”

The NSW RNA Bioscience Alliance will be led by UNSW’s Professor Pall Thordarson, and will report to the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee to coordinate collaborative work across the NSW RNA ecosystem. Prof Thordarson will also lead the new UNSW RNA Institute — a science, therapeutics and translational facility driving cross-disciplinary approaches to global challenges in RNA chemistry, biology and medicine.

“An mRNA manufacturing capability would position Australia as a leader in the global research effort to combat emerging vaccine-resistant viruses, such as new COVID-19 variants,” Prof Thordarson said.

“More importantly, this is not just about mRNA vaccines. They are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of a whole range of RNA therapeutics that are revolutionising medicine — a field that UNSW has great strengths in and includes novel cancer treatments and RNA-based treatments against the virus that causes COVID-19.”

The NSW RNA Production and Research Network will meanwhile be led by UNSW in partnership with The University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Macquarie University and The Australian National University, plus several medical institutes and hospital-based facilities, to enable an RNA community of practice in NSW/ACT. It has been tasked with providing high-quality genetic materials for use in preclinical studies relating to three pilot research projects to develop therapeutic solutions that will assist in the COVID-19 response, and will utilise the new UNSW laboratory facility.

Professor Phil Hansbro, Director of the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation (a joint program between UTS and the Centenary Institute), said he was extremely pleased to be a part of the newly established Network.

“At the Centenary Institute we have extensive expertise in the delivery of drugs to the lungs, especially those that inhibit RNAs. We have also developed a state-of-the-art high containment PC3 COVID-19 laboratory and have also developed in vivo and cell models to test new preventions and therapies for COVID-19, especially those that emerge from the Network,” he said.

“We will be able to test new vaccines and treatments that are produced by other areas of the Network at the preclinical stage for safety and efficacy so that they can progress through to human trials and treatments. This will also futureproof NSW for the development of preventions and treatments for other diseases and pandemics now and into the future.”

NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard said RNA technologies could potentially play an important role not only in combating pandemics, but also in therapies and diagnostics.

“NSW is already home to pioneering research and national leadership across the fields of gene therapy, gene-modified cell therapy and RNA therapy. This collaboration of some of our brightest scientific minds will turbocharge research and development in NSW,” he said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/thodonal

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