First messenger RNA vaccine developed in Africa

José Castillo, CEO of Quantoom biosciences, a subsidiary of Univercells, said the company has improved its approach and manufacturing methods. After taking a sample and sequencing the virus , the DNA code will be available within 28 days and 2 weeks later, the RNA can be transcribed and synthesized. Then, packaging is carried out immediately to ensure quality. In total, in 3 months, Quantoom biosciences can produce the first experimental vaccine.

Quantoom biosciences CEO added that the company will produce 50 million doses of vaccine per year in Africa .

Belgium has invested €4 million ($4.33 million) in Afrigen since 2021. The European country has the second largest biotech ecosystem in the world , after Israel. In addition, Univercells, based in Jumet, in the Belgian province of Hainaut, has received $40 million in investments from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since 2016. The company currently has 400 employees at two facilities in Hainaut and Nivelles, responsible for designing DNA molecules and producing RNA. Univercells has recorded spectacular growth in revenue, with €20 million ($21.6 million) in 2022 and is expected to reach €50 million ($54 million) in 2023.

According to Mr. Castillo, the Covid-19 pandemic is an alarm bell. Many virologists warn that as the world becomes more populated, the possibility of infection will increase significantly. The phenomenon of viruses being transmitted from poultry to humans may increase in the future. Therefore, each region of the world is interested in equipping itself with small vaccine production facilities to prepare for pandemics like Covid-19, or outbreaks like the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. In these situations, messenger RNA technology will be effective in responding to epidemics.

Etherna, another Belgian company with a presence in Cape Town, has developed a heat-stabilization process, because RNA is inherently unstable and needs to be stored at low temperatures: -80 degrees Celsius for Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine and -20 degrees Celsius for Pfizer's, making it unusable on a large scale in Africa.

Etherna CEO Bernard Sagaert stressed that the technology developed by Etherna will make storage in conventional refrigerators more accessible than freezers at -20°C or -80°C, especially in low-income countries and will significantly improve the prospects of making vaccines more accessible to more people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many limitations in Africa's health sector and forced most countries around the world to tighten epidemic prevention measures, while clearly recognizing the need to expand the development and production of vaccines to prevent the disease.

In fact, the Cape Town pharmaceutical company will be the training center for a vast RNA vaccine network established by the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes 16 countries, including Kenya, Brazil, and others. The WHO is encouraging the implementation of messenger RNA technology transfer programs. Other organizations will come to South Africa to attend training courses and then apply the knowledge gained in their own countries. The goal is for each region of the world to be able to produce vaccines quickly and independently from that region in the event of an outbreak.

News and photos: VNA

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