Moderna completes next stage of UK R&D facility build

US biotech Moderna has completed the installation of its clinical laboratories at its new R&D facility in the UK dedicated to the discovery of new mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, part of a 10-year partnership with the government agreed last year that has been estimated to be worth around £1 billion.

The labs at the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC), located at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, are due to become operational in 2024, with an accompanying manufacturing facility due to be completed the following year.

It is located a stone’s throw away from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is working with Moderna on early vaccine development for future pandemic threats.

The biomarker, bioanalytical, and molecular assay laboratory pods were constructed in Northumberland by digital manufacturing specialist Merit and transported to the site by a convoy of 52 lorries over several weeks. They will be deployed to process samples from Moderna’s clinical trials across the UK and Europe and “rapidly evaluate clinical data on the effectiveness of potential therapeutics and vaccines,” according to the company.

Once fully up and running, the MITC is expected to employ more than 150 highly skilled workers and have the capacity to produce up to 250 million vaccines per year in the event of a pandemic. It has a target of being able to develop vaccines against emerging threats within 100 days and will be used to provide the UK with access to mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases.

The site will also store clinical samples in an automated, custom-built biobank, and Moderna has said it intends to share access to that with approved research institutions across the UK and Europe.

The 10-year alliance between the UK and Moderna will also see the biotech run a number of clinical trials in the UK, as well as provide grant funding to UK universities.

“Working with industry is an integral part of our strategy to protect the nation’s health and provide the UK with greater resilience against a future pandemic,” commented Philippa Harvey, director of the COVID Vaccine Unit at UKHSA.

“The construction of Moderna’s clinical laboratories in Harwell, Oxfordshire, is an important milestone in our 10-year partnership with Moderna and for life sciences in the UK.”

Harwell lies within the UK’s so-called ‘golden triangle’, a life sciences-rich area stretching between London, Oxford, and Cambridge that is central to the UK government’s strategy to make the country a superpower in the industry.