Posted: 16 August 2023
US-based biotech company Moderna has opened its Regional Research Centre for Respiratory Medicines and Tropical Diseases and local headquarters in Melbourne, ahead of the expected opening of their mRNA factory next year.
State industry minister Ben Carroll launched the new research centre on Tuesday. It sits next to its headquarters for Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia & Oceania in Melbourne, which was also opened this week, within the Monash Technology Precinct,
“The establishment of Moderna’s Research Centre and headquarters in Victoria sends a strong signal to the world that we are global leaders in mRNA research and development – driving innovation to change lives and create jobs for years into the future,” said Carroll.
The first strategic collaboration for the new research centre is a $3 million Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator with the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in Parkville.
The statement said the so-called “Monash-Moderna Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator” will help accelerate development of mRNA medicines for diseases “by using advanced computer models to predict the effects of treatments” and is expected to be the “first of many collaborations with Victorian research institutes”.
Commencement of construction for Moderna’s mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Clayton was announced by Monash in December last year.
The facility will be Moderna’s first mRNA production facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is expected to open in 2024 and have capacity to create up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses annually, “including vaccines for COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).”
