Construction has kicked off on a world-leading RNA research and pilot manufacturing facility at Macquarie University, which will change the way the state tackles its future health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delivered with a $96 million investment by the NSW Government, the facility will be the first of its type in Australia and one of only a handful of its kind in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will deliver new capabilities to develop world leading vaccines and medical therapies for humans and animals based on cutting edge RNA technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Co-located at Macquarie University\u2019s Wallumattagal campus, it will feed into the Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District, home to a host of medical and health-related organisations and industrial and technology startups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The site will allow a wide range of RNA vaccines, therapeutics and delivery technologies to be independently designed and tested, providing NSW with sovereign capability. The facility will also have the capacity to manufacture RNA-based therapeutics for the three main phases of clinical trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support for the state\u2019s burgeoning health and life sciences sector is a priority with NSW already the national leader as global demand for new health technology explodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around 90,000 people are already employed in the sector in NSW, which represents 40 per cent of the national total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RNA technology came to global prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it supported the rapid development and deployment of vaccines to combat the unprecedented health crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technology offers the prospect of preventing and treating an even broader spectrum of health conditions, including cancers, genetic diseases and other viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility will feature laboratories along with manufacturing production lines and will be able to be used by researchers and industry. It will be operated by Aurora Biosynthetics, a subsidiary of Myeloid Therapeutics, a global leader in RNA technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will be overseen by RNA Australia, a newly formed, NSW-based company, which is a joint venture between the NSW Government and four NSW universities, including Macquarie University, along with ANU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Construction of the RNA Research and Pilot Manufacturing Facility is expected to be completed in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premier Chris Minns said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis facility will drive jobs and investment in this sector, along with delivering potentially life-saving solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis a step forward for healthcare in NSW and an opportunity for us to grow important new high-tech companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis facility helps put us at the front of the queue in the fierce global battle to attract new investment and build new industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNations around the world are crying out for new health solutions, and our state is well positioned to deliver them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe capabilities this facility unlocks are supported by the NSW Government\u2019s commitment to $119 million of investment in RNA research and development over the next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Medical Research David Harris said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “This facility will link NSW\u2019s world-class RNA and delivery technology research with our outstanding clinical trials capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will build on existing NSW Government investments, including the NSW RNA Production & Research Network, the UNSW RNA Institute and Australia\u2019s first Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at Westmead Health and Innovation District.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Macquarie University is proud to host this groundbreaking new facility, which is a significant addition to the thriving medical precinct within the Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRNA research has incredible potential, and we share in RNA Australia’s vision for advancing biomedical science for the benefit of Australia and the world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Construction has kicked off on a world-leading RNA research and pilot manufacturing facility at Macquarie University, which will change the way the state tackles its future health challenges. Delivered with a $96 million investment by the NSW Government, the facility will be the first of its type in Australia and one of only a handful … Continue reading “Construction starts on RNA research and manufacturing facility for NSW”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28977,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions\/28977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}