Medicines for the future
The announcement that Moderna is building its first mRNA production facility in the Southern Hemisphere within the Monash Technology Precinct is fantastic news for Monash University and the Faculty.
The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) has directly invested over $20m over the past five years on mRNA research.
This includes investments in infrastructure including our genomics and proteomics platforms and imaging platforms. The investment also extends to supporting a substantial network of around 65 researchers - the largest such grouping in Australia - including EMBL group leaders, bioinformatic and computational biology experts, and two ARC Laureate fellows.
mRNA-based therapeutics and vaccines present great promise to deliver extraordinary medical advances over the coming years. MNHS is working with mRNA Victoria and manufacturing partners to grow the mRNA ecosystem and develop and deliver the medicines of the future medicines for the future.
At MNHS we are testing new tools to more efficiently synthesise mRNA and building a platform to optimise the design of new RNA-based medicines to treat cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and other serious health conditions.
Executive Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Professor Christina Mitchell AO says: “We are excited not only for the fantastic opportunities for workforce training, but the cross collaboration, bold new discoveries and the attraction of both industry and talent.”
Director of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Professor John Carroll says:
“We have a highly-skilled and talented team and Moderna coming to Monash provides exciting opportunities for innovation in mRNA research that will lead to new IP and spin out companies. Moderna will help nucleate an exciting new era for the Victorian biotech sector. We welcome Moderna and very much look forward to working together in the coming years.”
Click here to read more on the Moderna announcement.
This announcement received media coverage in outlets including ABC Radio and BioSpectrum Asia.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
For more news, visit Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences or Monash University.
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