The project aims to enhance pandemic preparedness by accelerating the development and accessibility of mRNA-based avian influenza vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.

RT’s Three Key Takeaways:

1. Global Collaboration: The WHO’s new project, in partnership with Sinergium Biotech and the Medicines Patent Pool, aims to accelerate the development of mRNA-based H5N1 vaccines, focusing on enhancing pandemic preparedness in low- and middle-income countries.
2. Technology Transfer: The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, initiated by WHO and MPP, is designed to build capacity in these countries by sharing technology, materials, and expertise, ensuring a more equitable response to future pandemics.
3. Public Health Impact: This initiative aims to address the public health risk posed by avian influenza viruses, emphasizing the importance of early planning, innovation, and the diversification of vaccine production to better prepare for potential global health threats.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the launch of a new project aiming to accelerate the development and accessibility of human avian influenza (H5N1) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidates for manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries. 

The Argentinian manufacturer Sinergium Biotech will lead this effort leveraging the WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Programme.

The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, jointly developed by WHO and MPP, was launched in July 2021 with the aim to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries for the development and production of mRNA-based vaccines. Sinergium Biotech, a partner in the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, has developed candidate H5N1 vaccines and aims to establish proof-of-concept in preclinical models. 

Sharing Technology and Expertise

Once the preclinical data package is concluded, the technology, materials, and expertise will be shared with other manufacturing partners, aiming to aid the acceleration of the development of H5N1 vaccine candidates and bolster pandemic preparedness efforts.

“This initiative exemplifies why WHO established the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme: to foster greater research, development, and production in low- and middle-income countries, so that when the next pandemic arrives, the world will be better prepared to mount a more effective and more equitable response,” says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general, in a release.

Avian influenza viruses are a public health risk due to their widespread circulation in animals and potential to cause a future pandemic. This development supplements ongoing work under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework to improve and strengthen the sharing of influenza viruses with human pandemic potential and increasing low- and middle-income countries access to vaccines.

Diversifying Innovation and Production

“This announcement underscores the importance of not only geographically diversifying the innovation and production of health technologies including and recognizing the capacities in Latin American and the Caribbean but also the importance of early planning for access and the sharing of knowledge and technologies during the research and development processes,” says Jarbas Barbosa, PhD, director of the Pan American Health Organization, in a release.

Dr Alejandro Gil, chief executive officer of Sinergium, says in a release, “Sinergium’s enhanced capacity and readiness to apply our expertise to H5N1 will play a vital role in this effort towards global pandemic preparedness…We are excited to tackle this public health challenge, and our R&D team will continue to work closely with the program partners.”

Building on Previous Successes

Since its inception, the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme has developed and implemented a platform that was used to establish the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in preclinical animal models. 

Afrigen is the center where the platform was created and is being validated and this technology is now being transferred to manufacturing partners to adapt and enhance it for other critical disease targets.

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