Research institutes join up to speed vaccine development
Four institutes that conduct advanced research into vaccines are to collaborate and establish an association of institutes this autumn in an attempt to speed up the development of vaccines in Japan, it has been learned.
The new association will aim to accelerate vaccine development by lightening the load on pharmaceutical companies and passing on basic research findings to them.
The association will be made up of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo University’s Institute of Medical Science, Osaka University’s Research Institute for Microbial Diseases and the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation.
Bodies including the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the Association of Biologicals Manufacturers of Japan and the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association will join as observers.
All the institutes currently work on basic vaccine research using government scientific research grants.
However, collaboration between research institutes and pharmaceutical companies has been insufficient, and disagreements on research subjects have led to development delays. For example, a vaccine for hepatitis A was developed and approved in 1995, but no commercially viable product has been made since then.
The association will strive to promote development by having a consistent strategy with companies and institutes regarding key research. This includes finding the most suitable ways to administer vaccines and studies of substances that strengthen immune reactions and vectors that carry bacillus genes. It will hold presentations on research funded by government grants, boost collaboration with research institutes and put drugmakers in touch with research findings.