GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) it is investing more capital in the development of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines. It has bought a nearly 10% stake in German private biotech company CureVac for £ 130m ($ 163m), the two companies announced in a joint press release released Monday morning.
As part of the agreement, GlaxoSmithKline and CureVac will collaborate on the research, development and potential commercialization of up to five vaccines based on mRNA and monoclonal antibodies targeting infectious diseases. CureVac will be eligible for up to £ 606 million in milestone payments, plus royalties.
Although CureVac is currently developing an mRNA-based vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, that program is not covered under the GlaxoSmithKline collaboration agreement. GlaxoSmithKline is conducting its own coronavirus vaccine research and development activities.
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Conveying instructions on how to make DNA proteins to cells, mRNA is a hot area of vaccine research right now, thanks in large part to American biotechnology. Modern. In candidate vaccines, mRNA can theoretically be used to signal the body to make the antibodies necessary to fight the coronavirus.
Although Moderna’s mRNA-1273 specifically targets the coronavirus (as does the CureVac candidate), mRNA technology can, in theory, again be harnessed to combat many afflictions. It should be noted, however, that mRNA is a relatively new field of vaccine research and has not yet been approved in any vaccine on the market. The Moderna candidate is about to enter Phase 3 of clinical trials.
CureVac, in which the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation invested $ 52 million in January 2015 and the German government 300 million euros ($ 343 million) last month, plans to go public in September or October.
