Construction underway at Moderna Monash mRNA facility

Construction on Moderna’s first factory in the southern hemisphere is underway within Monash Technology Precinct, Monash University announced on Wednesday.

An agreement between the Victorian and federal governments and Moderna was made public in March this year – before the change of federal government – and finalised in August.

The site is expected to be open in 2024, pending regulatory approvals, and have capacity to create as many as 100 million MRNA vaccine does annually, “including vaccines for COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).”

The university said the site will be complemented by the Monash Centre for Advanced mRNA Medicine Manufacturing and Workforce training, currently being established in partnership with the Victorian government.

Monash’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner, said in a statement that, “Together, Moderna’s production facility and the new Centre combine two critical elements of an mRNA innovation ecosystem that will deliver long-term health and economic benefits for the community, and strengthen Monash’s position at the forefront of mRNA/RNA therapeutic.”

Commencement of site construction follows news this week that the Queensland Government, Sanofi, University of Queensland and Griffith University will collectively invest $280 million on a new Translational Science Hub for mRNA vaccine development, initially focussing on chlamydia.

Picture: credit Monash University