Jiyeongmi Disease Control Director "Developing Korean-style mRNA Vaccine... Production Within 200 Days in Pandemic"

Discussion on Next Pandemic Response at 'World Bio Summit'
Interview with Jiyoungmi, Director of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

"Korea Also Secured mRNA Core Technology"
"Infectious Disease Cycles Are Accelerating... Cannot Be Complacent"
"Next Pandemic Pathogen Candidate: Avian Influenza"

"Through the development of a Korean-style messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine, we aim to be able to produce a vaccine within a maximum of 200 days in the event of a pandemic."

At the '2023 World Bio Summit' held in Seoul on the 20th and 21st, Ji Young-mi, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), told reporters, "The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that mRNA technology-based vaccines are the 'key solution' to resolving pandemics. We will lead global health security by securing this technology."

Jiyoungmi, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

mRNA is genetic material that instructs the human body on how to produce proteins that can fight viruses and other pathogens. The advantage of mRNA is that once the platform is established, design and production are easy and fast. As long as the genetic information of the pathogen is known, mRNA can be quickly designed and produced. Moderna in the United States shortened the new drug development process, which usually takes over 10 years, to 11 months using mRNA technology, enabling the world to gain immunity against COVID-19. Although Korea lowered the cumulative COVID-19 mortality rate to 0.1% with world-class response capabilities, it was not at the center of mRNA-based technology during the pandemic.

Commissioner Ji emphasized securing foundational technology that can avoid patent issues through collaboration with related government departments. She pointed out the importance of developing key technologies of the mRNA vaccine platform, such as 5'-capping technology, nucleic acid modification technology, and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems. These technologies are essential to safely transport mRNA to the target tissues where proteins are produced. Ji also stated, "We will spare no support for the discovery of mRNA vaccine candidates and preclinical research for various infectious diseases," adding, "We will develop vaccines within 100 to 200 days in the event of a pandemic."

The KDCA is drafting an execution strategy roadmap for rapid vaccine development against nine viruses, including influenza, COVID-19, dengue, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as part of preparations for the next pandemic. Since September, surplus COVID-19 vaccine stocks have been provided free of charge to domestic pharmaceutical companies and institutions for research purposes to support private vaccine development.

Commissioner Ji believes there is little time to spare as the cycle of future pandemics is shortening. She said, "Climate change, environmental destruction causing ecosystem distortion, frequent contact between humans and animals, and increased international exchanges accelerate the spread of diseases." The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) reported in September last year that there is a 38% probability of experiencing a pandemic on the scale of COVID-19 in our lifetime. The Global Development Center also projected that "there is a possibility of a pandemic larger than COVID-19 occurring within the next 25 years."

Ji identified "avian influenza" as one of the candidates for the next pandemic pathogen. It is a virus that infects birds such as chickens and ducks, and although rare, there have been cases of human infection. She said, "If human-to-human transmission cases of avian influenza increase, it could rapidly mutate into a virus that spreads easily," adding, "Although the pandemic potential is low, preparation is also necessary for hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola, which have high fatality rates and significant social impact."

At the end of this year, the 'Global Health Security Coordination Office' will open in Korea. Through the World Bio Summit, the KDCA reached agreements to expand cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) through continuous personnel exchanges, collaborate with GAVI on vaccine research, development, and production, and cooperate with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on vaccine research and development missions such as the 100-day mission. Commissioner Ji emphasized, "Korea will lead the establishment of global strategies and networks to strengthen health security crisis response capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.