The virtual center would coordinate the work of some 400 employees in integrating end-to-end mRNA vaccine capabilities, with teams dedicated to R&D and leveraging Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) across sites at Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and Marcy l’Etoile, Lyon, France.

Sanofi said it is committed to rapidly establishing an industry-competitive mRNA platform working with partners and all relevant stakeholders, both internally and externally. The minimum number of clinical candidates it expects by 2025 is six.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, mRNA technologies demonstrated potential to deliver new vaccines faster than ever before. However, key areas of innovation such as thermostability and tolerability improvements will be critical to unlock the applications of mRNA in routine vaccination against a broader set of infectious diseases and across all ages,” said Jean-Francois Toussaint, global head of research and development at Sanofi Pasteur.

 “This massive new investment clearly puts us in the race to develop next-generation vaccines where mRNA technologies can have greatest impact,” said Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president, global head of Sanofi Pasteur. “While mRNA won’t be the solution for every infectious disease, its translation into routine prevention could have immense impact for many unmet public health needs.”

In July 2020, Sanofi and Translate Bio, a US clinical-stage mRNA and  therapeutics specialist, formally expanded their collaboration and license agreement signed in 2018 to develop mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases. In March 2020, the companies announced plans to work jointly on a Covid-19 vaccine, using the US biotech’s technology.

Separately, Sanofi is working on development of a recombinant, protein-based Covid vaccine candidate, for which UK drugmaker Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) is supplying the adjuvant. This project is being funded in part by the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist