Sanofi will invest approximately $475 million annually in a new mRNA vaccines center of excellence.
Sanofi said the center will work to accelerate the development and delivery of next-generation vaccines by bringing together approximately 400 dedicated employees integrating end-to-end mRNA vaccine capabilities with dedicated R&D, digital capabilities, and chemistry, manufacturing and controls. The teams will work across sites in Cambridge, MA, and Marcy l’Etoile, Lyon (France).
As a result of the effort, Sanofi says it expects at least six clinical candidates by 2025.
The center of excellence will enable acceleration of the vaccines mRNA portfolio developed through the Translate Bio collaboration established in 2018 and expanded in 2020, the company said.
“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. It now becomes a critical new technology in our comprehensive vaccines toolbox, one which could help reinvent health protection in the future,” said Thomas Triomphe, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Sanofi Pasteur.
