The biopharmaceutical company CureVac has been working for some time on the development of innovative mRNA vaccines, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness Innovations, a public-private initiative to strengthen the vaccine research.
TÜBINGEN, Germany / BOSTON, MA January 24, 2020 – The biopharmaceutical company CureVac has been working for some time on the development of innovative mRNA vaccines (messenger RNA), supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a public-private initiative to strengthen the vaccine research. Specifically, CureVac develops vaccines to protect against Rabies, (Universal) Influenza, Malaria and Lassa fever. The aim is to be able to produce and supply these and other outbreak-prone vaccines in a timely manner in order to contain infectious disease epidemics. With regard to the current coronavirus outbreak in China, says Dr. Mariola Fotin-Mleczek, Chief Technology Officer of CureVac:
“CureVacs technology and mRNA platform are specifically suitable to rapidly provide an answer to a viral outbreak situation like this, and therefore we are in contact with several key players in the field such as CEPI, BMGF and others to investigate how we can contribute to the fight against this potential health emergency. We are currently in the process of producing a vaccine that, after successful preclinical tests, could be tested in humans in a clinical study – and we are investigating how to move this forward with our collaboration partner for such situations. From earlier preclinical work on another Coronavirus, we know that our mRNA vaccines are suitable to induce an immune response in animals for this type of viruses. Furthermore, our recent clinical results with a rabies vaccine show that we can induce an immune response in humans with very low amounts of mRNA.”
To date, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested more than 60 million euros in CureVac to support the further development of CureVac’s mRNA platform and the construction of a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) production facility on an industrial scale as well as the development of prophylactic vaccines.
In addition, CureVac is working on the development of The RNA PrinterTM. This is a mobile, automated production unit for rapid mRNA supply. CEPI supports the development of such platform with 30 million euros. This innovative platform should enable the rapid supply of mRNA vaccine candidates against diseases such as Lassa fever and other outbreak-prone viruses in the future, like the new Coronarvirus in question. In addition, the on-site printer will also enable a rapid response to new and previously unknown pathogens.
About CureVac AG
CureVac is a leading clinical stage company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with 20 years expertise in developing and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac’s proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, antibody therapies, the treatment of rare diseases, and prophylactic vaccines. CureVac has received significant investments, amongst others from
dievini Hopp BioTech holding and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CureVac has also entered into collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, Genmab, CRISPR Therapeutics, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others. CureVac is headquartered in Tübingen, Germany with sites in Frankfurt and Boston, USA.
For more information, please visit www.curevac.com or follow us on Twitter at @CureVacAG.
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Media Contact
Thorsten Schüller, Corporate Communications CureVac AG, Tübingen, Germany T: +49 7071 9883-1577 thorsten.schueller@curevac.com
