New manufacturing hub will see SA making antigen COVID vaccines
South African-born entrepreneur and scientist Doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa, launched the NantSA Vaccine Manufacturing Campus on Wednesday.
CAPE TOWN - A Cape Town-based vaccine manufacturing hub will see South Africa produce dual antigen COVID-19 vaccines from start to finish.
South African-born entrepreneur and scientist Doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa, launched the NantSA Vaccine Manufacturing Campus on Wednesday.
WATCH: ‘Africa will stand on its own’ - SA vaccine plant unveiled in Cape Town
This COVID-19 vaccine targets both the mutation-prone spike protein of the virus, as well as its nucleocapsid protein.
Current vaccines target only the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus.
Dr Soon-Shiong said the aim is to produce at least one billion doses by 2025.
“We’re comfortable that we can do that and the answer to that is, therefore, therein being the largest south-amplifying RNA facility in the world,” he said.
Around 400 to 600 people will be employed at the production hub.
The project will also go hand-in-hand with a R100 million education and training programme in biotechnology and life sciences.
#NantSA a division of Nantworks LLC together with the CSIR, Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), Universities of Cape Town, - Witwatersrand, - Stellenbosch, - KwaZulu-Natal and Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa partnered on the project. KB
EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 19, 2022
#NantSA Dr Soon-Shiong stresses the importance of South Africa becoming self-reliant in terms producing biopharmaceuticals on home soil from scratch. KB pic.twitter.com/HZswl8GxYV
EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 19, 2022
#NantSA President Ramaphosa says the African continent has developed a comprehensive strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. KB pic.twitter.com/Oa6PWndbvf
EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 19, 2022
