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    [Pangyo Bio & Medical] SK Vassar-Hillemann Research Institute join forces for joint research and development of a new vaccine platform… “The goal is to supply stable vaccines to middle and underdeveloped countries!”

    Hillemann Institute CEO Raman Rao (left) and SK Bioscience President Ahn Jae-yong |  Photo courtesy of SK Bioscience
    Hillemann Institute CEO Raman Rao (left) and SK Bioscience President Ahn Jae-yong | Photo courtesy of SK Bioscience

    SK Bioscience signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint research and development of new vaccines and platforms’ with Hilleman Laboratories, an international non-profit research institute.

    Hillemann Research Institute is a research institute established in 2009 through a joint venture between the global pharmaceutical company MSD and the UK’s Wellcome Trust, the world’s largest medical research support foundation. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by Hillemann Research Institute CEO Raman Rao, SK Bioscience President Ahn Jae-yong, and CTO Kim Hoon.

    Through this agreement, the two organizations decided to closely cooperate throughout the entire vaccine R&D process, including ▲ basic research on new vaccines ▲ selection of candidate materials ▲ manufacturing process development ▲ clinical research, with the goal of resolving the imbalance in vaccine supply in middle and low-income countries. In particular, Hillemann Research Institute will focus on research and initial process development, and SK Bioscience will focus on utilizing its leading capabilities in process development and commercialization.

    In addition, both organizations will utilize the latest vaccine platform to jointly respond to infectious disease outbreaks by targeting viral diseases and antibiotic-resistant diseases such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Chicken Gunya, and Hand, Foot, and Mouth, to develop vaccines early and supply them in a timely manner. We agreed to build a system. In this process, we will streamline the vaccine development and technology transfer process through joint development of major vaccine platform technologies and human exchanges in research and production, and also cooperate in human resource training.

    Through this MOU, SK Bioscience will jointly develop and supply vaccines needed to middle and underdeveloped countries with global research institutions and secure the latest vaccine platforms such as mRNA and viral vectors to expand its product portfolio and strengthen growth engines. is the plan.

    In particular, Hillemann Research Institute, which has promoted strategic cooperation with partners such as governments, international organizations, and global companies, with the goal of developing vaccines and biological agents that can respond to infectious diseases that threaten the safety of middle- and low-income countries, and cell culture and bacterial culture, Synergy with SK Bioscience, which has independent vaccine R&D technology such as genetic recombination, is expected.

    Raman Rao, CEO of the Hillemann Institute, said, “It has been difficult for middle and underdeveloped countries to get vaccinated, which is the first line of defense against infectious diseases, due to economic burden,” and added, “We have accomplished our mission to widely expand access to vaccines.” “To this end, we are pleased to cooperate with SK Bioscience in developing a new vaccine platform.”

    Jae-yong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience, said, “As a reflection of the company’s status that has risen due to the pandemic, interest and collaboration from global partners are continuing,” adding, “Partnerships with research institutions with leading R&D capabilities in the world, such as Hillemann Research Institute, “Through expansion, we will leap forward to become a truly global company in name and reality.”

    Meanwhile, SK Bioscience is strengthening partnerships with various global organizations with the goal of technological advancement in vaccine R&D. To develop an mRNA vaccine platform, we launched a collaborative program with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CEPI, and began preparations to secure a diverse vaccine portfolio through this.

    In particular, we plan to use the mRNA platform to strengthen existing pipelines and expand our influence in the global market by applying it to new pipelines such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine, and anticancer vaccine. In addition, we plan to further expand our collaboration program with global research institutions with which we have established strong cooperative relationships, such as the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Institute for Antigen Design (IPD) at the University of Washington.

    Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom
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