Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will be key to a new effort to manufacture millions of RNA vaccines in Africa, according to Cairo, Egypt-headquartered drug firm Eva Pharma.
Eva Pharma made the comments in reference to its recent partnership with DNA Script and Quantoom Biosciences, which aims to set up a manufacturing system that can make 100 million doses of RNA-based vaccines a year.
Eva Pharma spokesperson Marina Faltas tells GEN: “We’re establishing a dedicated, end-to-end mRNA production platform, capable of taking a digital gene sequence all the way to a formulated vaccine product ready for distribution so we can quickly and efficiently scale production to meet both local and continental needs.”
Under the partnership, Eva will dedicate manufacturing capacity at its facility. The plant—one of four the firm operates in the country—houses an mRNA “innovation hub” that will develop and produce the vaccines.
DNA Script, based in Paris, France, will provide its synthesis technologies—which are used to create the DNA template from which the mRNA transcripts are produced. Quantoom, which is headquartered in Nivelles, Belgium, will contribute its mRNA synthesis and encapsulation systems to the project.
Automation and AI
Automation will be core to the project, according to Faltas, who says, “The integration of DNA Script’s DNA synthesis technology and Quantoom’s mRNA synthesis and formulation technologies is central to our ‘digital-to-biologics’ vision and will be transformative for our manufacturing process.”
Eva Pharma will also set up dedicated quality operations to enable monitoring and control of process parameters to ensure that RNA vaccines made at the site meet safety and quality standards.
“Ultimately, we’re building a fully automated and continuous end-to-end manufacturing line, integrating process analytical technology to ensure seamless and efficient production,” she says.
The project will also utilize AI for antigen selection, protein engineering, mRNA construct design, and modeling delivery systems like polymers and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).
According to Faltas, the use of AI “will also enable advanced design of the integrated platforms with future opportunities on direct process control.”
Manufacturing localization
The Eva Pharma, DNA Script, and Quantoom Biosciences collaboration is part of the wider African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) program launched by the Africa CDC last summer. The overall aim is to foster the development of sufficient local production capacity so that, by 2040, Africa is producing 60% of its vaccines.
The project is also part of Egyptian Government-backed efforts to facilitate the manufacture hundreds of millions of vaccine doses annually in the country by 2030.