Page 11 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

GENERAL INFORMATION

The SAMRC has contributed to the development Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
and expansion of this ecosystem through its and Afrigen Biologics. Each consortium member
investments in and coordination of specific vaccine plays a role in fulfilling the product development value
development and human capital and infrastructure chain and a key goal has been to fill any existing gaps
projects and programs, together with strategic and ensure that South Africa has the capability to take
funding partners such as the Department of Science, an mRNA vaccine candidate all the way through the
Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the ELMA product development process from identification of
Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, Medicines the immunogens to first in human studies. The key
Patent Pool (MPP), the World Health Organization components of the programme are as follows:
(WHO), the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation
(CSSFF) and the German Government through • Surveillance to monitor pathogens with epidemic
the KfW Development Bank (KfW). The mRNA and/or pandemic potential and identify clinically
Hub Programme has been used to fill gaps in the relevant variants for use as immunogens in future
vaccine development value chain and is testing the vaccines – this includes genomic surveillance
ecosystem by taking pilot projects on HIV and TB (CERI, University of Stellenbosch) and wastewater
vaccine candidates through towards clinical studies. surveillance (SAMRC and HDI partners)
• Identification and design of immunogens for
The South African mRNA Vaccine Consortium COVID, TB and HIV (Wits, NICD/Wits and UCT)
(SAMVAC), comprises of 10 consortium members,
including the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), • Development of mRNA vaccine candidates (Wits
Wits Health Consortium (WHC), the University of and Afrigen)
Cape Town (UCT), the African Health Research • Development and testing of novel ionizable lipids
Institute (AHRI), the University of Stellenbosch (SU), as alternatives to those used in the registered
North-West University (NWU), the National Institute COVID vaccines to work around IP issues, increase
for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the SAMRC, the stability and reduce cost (Wits and Afrigen)

Phase 1 Phase 2/3 Product Commercial
Preclinical/Tox
Clinical Trial Clinical Trials Registration Manufacture

Infrastructure science & innovation
Department:
Development Science and Innovation
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 9