Moderna will build a new research and manufacturing centre in Britain to develop vaccines against new COVID-19 variants and other illnesses, the government said today.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, which use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, were among those deployed in Britain, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailing the roll-out as one of the keys to re-opening England’s economy from stringent lockdowns.
Britain’s health ministry said that the pandemic had shown mRNA technology as one of the fastest routes to develop new vaccines, and could be applied to other areas, such as cancer, flu, dementia and heart disease.
“Our investment will guarantee jabs in arms against some of the toughest viruses out there, bringing us to the forefront of the fight against future threats,” Johnson said in a statement.
“We’ve all seen what vaccines can do, and today’s partnership brings us one step closer to finding cures for some of the most devastating diseases,” he added.
Edits by EP News Bureau