Announced on 21 June 2021, WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool established a Technology Transfer
Programme for mRNA vaccines in South Africa, in order to build manufacturing capacity in LMICs to produce
mRNA vaccines, in an effort to improve health security in LMICs through local and/or regional production of
mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, as a primary target. The center for mRNA technology development and transfer
comprises Afrigen/Biovac/South African Medical Research Council, South Africa, and will share technology and
technical know-how with a network of technology recipients in LMICs. The Programme currently receives
funding from European Commission, Belgium, France, Germany, as well as Canada, Norway, the African Union,
South Africa and the ELMA foundation.
The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme has four main objectives:
Establish or enhance sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in regions with no or limited capacity;
Introduce new technologies in LMICs and promote regional research and development (R&D);
Strengthen regional biomanufacturing know-how and workforce development;
Develop regulatory capabilities and workforce to support and accelerate regional approval and
distribution of mRNA vaccines;
This meeting, hosted at the Westin in Cape Town, is the first of a series of annual Face-2-Face meetings between the Programme Partners and key international stakeholders.
Objectives of the meeting - The proposed objectives are to:
Review the progress of the mRNA technology transfer Programme.
Share experience on vaccine development among the Programme Partners.
Review business models, intellectual property issues and regulatory aspects relevant to mRNA vaccines.
Review the science of mRNA technologies and discuss key applications relevant to LMICs.
Strengthen the mRNA R&D network and build communities among the Partners by R&D interests.
Highlight the role of technology transfer and establishment of manufacturing and R&D on national and
regional economic development.
Meeting Materials
Presentations
Day 1
Lessons learned from Technology Transfer Programme for influenza vaccines - R. Bright
Overview of the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme: progress and key next steps - P. Terblanche
Programme implementation: report from the center for mRNA technology development and transfer - S. Wilson
Business models for sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing - M. Nicholson
Report from the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All – key outcomes - E. Torreele
Strategy to get a COVID-19 vaccine approved in South Africa - I. Jordan
ML and Regulatory System Strengthening - R. Pinto De Sa Gaspar
mRNA technology: regulatory expectations and main challenges - R. Long
Public and private capacities for local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals: Argentina - S. Tarragona
Synergies between the public and private sectors to encourage development with a public health perspective: The case of Argentina - S. Tarragona
Financing the Life Sciences Sector - A. Lynch
Investment Approach Relative to Risk Spectrum - K. Osei
Global training hub in South Korea: progress and future plan - E. Shin
Day 2
Intellectual Property - A. Larbi & C. Park
mRNA Tech Transfer-BioE status - BioE
mRNA Products Development and Platform Implementation at Bio-Manguinhos / FIOCRUZ - Bio Manguinhos
An Overview of Bio Farma - Bio Farma
BioGeneric Pharma S.A.E - BioGeneric Pharma
Biovac - Biovac
Biovaccines Nigeria - Biovaccines Nigeria
BioVax Kenya - BioVax Kenya
Darnitsa - Darnitsa
Incepta - Incepta
Pasteur Dakar - Pasteur Dakar
Pasteur Tunis - Pasteur Tunis
NIH Pakistan - NIH Pakistan
Polyvac - Polyvac
Sinergium - Sinergium
Torlak - Torlak
Fenner Manufacturing - Fenner Manufacturing
Quantoom - Quantoom
Merck - Merck
Sartorius - Sartorius
Separation Scientific - Separation Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific - Muhonen
Day 3
WHO Science Council report on mRNA vaccines - A. Kamarulzaman
mRNA technologies, key applications - A. Khan
mRNA technologies: what do we know and not know? - D. Weissman
Lessons learned from HIV vaccine clinical trials - G. Gray
HIV vaccine development: key immunological considerations - L. Corey
Understanding of protective immune response against malaria across the parasite life cycle - F. Osier
The role of CHIM studies in accelerating malaria vaccine development: lessons learned from Kenya - M. Kapulu
Day 4
Flaviviruses – key immunological considerations for vaccine development - A.Barrett
mRNA vaccines against flaviviruses - J. Richner
Policy and market considerations for new flavivirus vaccines - E. Staples
Key immunological considerations for Leishmaniasis vaccine development - M.B. Ahmed
Prequalification of a rabies vaccine - C. Rodriquez
Polio presentation - O. Mach
mRNA vaccines against CCHF - A. Mirazimi
Rif Valley Fever: key immunological considerations for vaccine development - A. McElroy
mRNA vaccines against Filoviruses and Lassa Fever - A. Bukreyev
Immune evasion strategies of HSV and the potential value of developing mRNA candidate vaccines against HSV - A. Iwasaki
Key immunological considerations for HPV vaccine development - J. Schiller
Afrigen RSV Vaccine Product Development Plan - A. Khan & M. Margolin
Adapting the annual influenza vaccine strain selection recommendation process to mRNA influenza vaccines - K. Subbarao
Policy considerations and market opportunities for mRNA seasonal influenza vaccines - J. Bresee
mRNA: Influenza Vaccines - D. Casimiro
Day 5
Overview of the TB vaccine pipeline - M. Hatherill
WHO activities to accelerate TB vaccine development and use - B. Giersing
Potential TB target antigens: What do we know, what’s new? - M. Musvosvi
Potential correlates for new TB vaccines - N. Frahm
Preclinical profiling of lung granulomas to probe for potential correlates - J. Flynn
Clinical development considerations for mRNA vaccines - A. Schmidt