We are pleased to announce that Nagasaki University was selected for the “World-Leading Research and Development Center Program for Vaccine Development funded by the “Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development” (AMED).
This program is based on the National Strategy for Vaccine Development formulated in reflection of the delay in developing vaccines for COVID-19 in Japan and aimed to select universities and research institutes capable of developing vaccines and forming a world-class R&D center in Japan. Nagasaki University was chosen as one of these centers, along with the University of Tokyo (flagship center), Hokkaido University, Chiba University, and Osaka University (all synergy centers).
Note: Flagship centers serve as the center of research and development. Synergy centers are centers where research and development are conducted by leveraging the strengths of each and where synergistic effects are expected from each other.
The University’s Vaccine Research and Development Center will be established in the “DEJIMA Infectious Disease Research Alliance,” which was newly established on April 1, 2022, to develop vaccines against infectious diseases that pose a threat to humanity, in cooperation with SHIONOGI & CO., LTD., NEC OncoImmunity AS, and KM Biologics Co., Ltd. In particular, we will promote the development of vaccines against highly pathogenic pathogens, e.g., dangerous pathogens that cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever, etc., and tropical pathogens that spread to tropical regions, such as dengue fever and malaria, promoting the application of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), patented by the University and participating companies, and artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, we will collect information on infectious diseases from around the world and aim to build a system that can respond promptly in an emergency.
Through these efforts, we will contribute to the national strategy of providing vaccines within 100 days of a future global epidemic and protect people’s and the economy’s health from infectious diseases.