Page 5 - Annual Report - Summative Report 2024-2025

2024/25 SIR Grant Portfolio by Institution
mRNA Technology Transfer Hub
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11 12 Supporting a Vaccine Development Ecosystem PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
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mRNA Hub partners and supporters
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SUN ARC CAPRISA CPUT CSIR HSRC ICGEB MINTEK NICD NMU NWU Rhodes SMU UCT UFS UJhb UKZN ULimp Univen UP UStell UWC Wits WSU WHC

2024/25 SIR Grant Portfolio by researcher category

mRNA Hub funders

The South African mRNA Vaccine Consortium (SAMVAC),
The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme is The SAMRC established the South African mRNA
• Manufacturing
process
and
optimization
42%
comprises of 10 consortium members, including the
technoeconomic analysis (CEBER, UCT)
a global initiative established by the WHO in Vaccine Consortium (SAMVAC) in 2022 to drive
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Wits Health
• Process
development,
quality
and
assurance
58% partnership with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) the research, development and testing of mRNA
Consortium (WHC), the University of Cape Town (UCT),
manufacture for clinical trials (Afrigen)
that aims to improve health and health security vaccine candidates, focusing on the priority diseases
the African Health Research Institute (AHRI), the University
• Clinical trials (SAMRC)
by establishing sustainable, locally owned mRNA of South-Africa and Africa. SAMVAC comprises of 10
of Stellenbosch (SU), North-West University (NWU), the
• Development of microbial strains for manufacture
manufacturing capabilities in and for low- and consortium members, including the University of
National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD),
of the enzymes required for mRNA production (SU
middle-income countries (LMICs) to enable a more the Witwatersrand (Wits), Wits Health Consortium
the SAMRC, the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Biofoundry)
Research (CSIR) and Afrigen Biologics.
equitable response to future pandemics. The South (WHC), the University of Cape Town (UCT), the African
Health Research Institute (AHRI), the University of
• Scaling up of production of enzymes (CSIR and
Africa-based hub comprises of Afrigen Biologics, Stellenbosch (SU), North-West University (NWU),
Each consortium member plays a role in fulfilling the
the SAMRC and Biovac, a South African vaccine Fluorobiotech).
product development value chain and a key goal has
• SAMRC is also supporting human capacity development
Early producer and manufacturing partner in the LMIC the National Institute for Communicable Diseases
been to fill any existing gaps and ensure that South Africa
Biomanufacturing
the
CSSFF-SAMRC
through
Mid/Est (NICD), the SAMRC, the CSIR and Afrigen Biologics.
network. Within this consortium, Afrigen is the entity Each consortium member plays a role in fulfilling
has the capability to take an mRNA vaccine candidate
Capacity Development Programme and infrastructure
all the way through the product development process
mandated to establish mRNA vaccine production the product development value chain and a key
development through the Support for Vaccine
from identification of the immunogens to first in human
technology and to transfer this technology to other goal has been to fill any existing gaps and ensure
Research, Development, Pilot-Scale Production
studies. The key components of the programme are as
LMIC partners, whilst the SAMRC is coordinating that South Africa has the capability to take an
and Regulation in South Africa Programme funded
follows:
through KfW in partnership with the DSTI. Together,
an mRNA vaccine research and development mRNA vaccine candidate all the way through the
these investments are aimed at ensuring future self-
• Surveillance to monitor pathogens with epidemic and/
programme to contribute to sustainability of the hub. product development process from identification of
or pandemic potential and identify clinically relevant sustainability in responding to emerging health
variants for use as immunogens in future vaccines – threats.
170 SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 this includes genomic surveillance (CERI, University SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 171
of Stellenbosch) and wastewater surveillance (SAMRC Medical Device and Diagnostics
and HDI partners) Ecosystem
• Identification and design of immunogens for COVID,
TB and HIV (Wits, NICD/Wits and UCT It has been long recognized that the medical devices
• Development of mRNA vaccine candidates (Wits and sector in South Africa has enormous potential for growth
Afrigen) in terms of both the development and commercialization
• Development and testing of novel ionizable lipids as of novel “home-grown” innovations and increasing
alternatives to those used in the registered COVID the local manufacturing base. The SAMRC, through
vaccines to work around IP issues, increase stability the Global Health Innovation Accelerator (GHIA) and
and reduce cost (Wits and Afrigen) the Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster
(MeDDIC) Programme, has driven a variety of initiatives,
• Immunogenicity testing of vaccine candidates in mice together with partners and other funders, to build and
(Wits and UCT), rabbits (UCT) and, where required support a coherent and functioning medical devices
non-human primates (SAMRC) – immunogenicity ecosystem.
assays are conducted by UCT and NICD/Wits
• Challenge studies in hamsters and mice for COVID Through GHIA, MeDDIC, and various research and
and TB vaccines, respectively (UCT) product development grant programmes, SAMRC
supports early discovery to identify appropriate
• Preclinical toxicity testing in rodents (NWU)
SAMRC SUMMATIVE REPOR T 2025-26T 2025-26 5
SUMMA
TIVE REPOR
SAMRC