Ana Paula Ano Bom and Patricia Neves, Brazil, and Emile Hendricks, South Africa Directed by Jackson Gondo and Laura Castro
At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, big pharma companies refused to share vaccine patents and life-saving technology with manufacturers in the global south, despite the clear and urgent need to scale up production. The results were disastrous, with millions of people in low- and middle-income countries falling sick without protection. The mRNA technology transfer programme was a response to this deep inequality, with labs and companies across the global south pairing up with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to attempt a very different model of medicines production. They quickly outlined plans to centre research and production in the global south and promote knowledge-sharing and affordable medicines. After successfully trialing a Covid-19 vaccine, scientists in the South Africa and Brazil hubs are now working on vaccines for neglected diseases like tuberculosis and leishmaniasis. More importantly and in contrast to the business model of big pharma companies, the 15 countries involved are sharing their scientific breakthroughs and patents collectively.
You can read more about the mRNA technology transfer programme here.
Patricia Neves is the Head of RNA vaccines development and platform implementation, at the Institute of Immunobiological Technology (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz.
Ana Paula Ano Bom is the Head of Immunological Technology Laboratory, at the Institute of Immunobiological Technology (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz.
Emile Hendricks is a research technologist at Afrigen and works on mRNA ground research all the way through to GMP vaccine manufacturing.