Published:
8:03 PM February 16, 2022
John Innes Centre has received nearly half a million pounds in government funding to develop global vaccines.
The Norwich-based science centre has been awarded £499,297 to help its project that aims to tackle the problem of how RNA-based vaccines – which use bits of genetic code to cause an immune response – can be delivered to developing countries where refrigeration to low temperatures is difficult or impossible.
Professor George Lomonossoff, who is leading the research team, said that he was “delighted” to receive the funding, which is “timely and much needed”.
He said: “The current Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to protect populations from emerging disease threats. One method of achieving this is through RNA vaccines which are designed to stimulate immunity within the body.
“The major drawback of the approach, particularly in less developed regions of the world, is that RNA is inherently unstable, and vaccines based on it must be stored and distributed at low temperature.
“There is therefore a need to develop alternative methods for stabilising RNA molecules. Our technology provides an efficient means of storing and distributing RNA vaccines in low-and middle-income countries.”
The project includes fellow Norwich Research Park company Leaf Expression Systems and the University of Leeds. The team will receive the money from April 1 2022.
The funding is part of £10m of UK aid that the government is awarding for research into vaccines to protect the world from deadly diseases.
It is being provided by the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN) and will be delivered by Innovate UK.
A total of 22 research projects have been selected and the money will be used to help tackle viruses such as Ebola, Lassa Fever and Zika – diseases which primarily affect lower income countries.
When selecting projects for funding, a wide range of factors were considered including the ease and speed of manufacturing the vaccine, the ease of use in low to middle income countries and length of protection.
Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said that the funding will help the projects reach their next stage of research.
He said: “Covid-19 has shown us first-hand just how important it is that we work together to keep everyone across the world safe.”
