SK Bioscience and Hilleman Laboratories Sign Joint R&D Agreement for New Vaccines and Platforms

Raman Rao, CEO of the Heleman Institute (left), and Jae-yong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience, are signing a business agreement and taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by SK Bioscience]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] SK Bioscience announced on the 27th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the international non-profit research institute Hilleman Laboratories for joint research and development of new vaccines and platforms.

Through this agreement, the two organizations will collaborate across the entire vaccine R&D process?including basic research on new vaccines, candidate selection, manufacturing process development, and clinical research?with the goal of resolving vaccine supply imbalances in low- and middle-income countries. Hilleman Laboratories will focus on research and early process development, while SK Bioscience will leverage its leading capabilities in process development and commercialization.

Additionally, by utilizing the latest vaccine platforms, they plan to establish a system that can rapidly develop and timely supply vaccines targeting viral diseases such as Ebola, Lassa fever, chikungunya, hand, foot, and mouth disease, as well as antibiotic-resistant diseases in the event of infectious disease outbreaks.

Based on this agreement, SK Bioscience aims to pioneer pathways to reliably supply vaccines needed by global research institutions and low- and middle-income countries, secure advanced vaccine platforms such as mRNA and viral vectors, and expand its product portfolio and growth engines.

Raman Rao, CEO of Hilleman Laboratories, said, "Low- and middle-income countries have faced difficulties in accessing vaccines, the first line of defense against infectious diseases, due to economic burdens. We are pleased to collaborate with SK Bioscience to develop new vaccine platforms to broadly enhance vaccine accessibility."

Jae-yong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience, stated, "Reflecting the elevated status of our company following the pandemic, global partners’ interest and collaboration continue. Through expanding partnerships with world-class research institutions such as Hilleman Laboratories, which possess outstanding R&D capabilities, we will leap forward as a truly global company."

Hilleman Laboratories is a research institute established in 2009 as a joint venture between global pharmaceutical company MSD and the Wellcome Trust, the world's largest medical research funding foundation based in the UK.

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