Brazilian scientists Patricia Neves and Ana Paula Ano Bom have made significant progress in their ambitious project to develop an open-access mRNA vaccine platform. The duo began their endeavor in response to the unequal global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
They both work at The Institute of Technology on Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos), a unit of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) responsible for research, innovation, technological development and the production biopharmaceuticals, including vaccines.
The impetus for their endeavor was the unequal global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. Motivated by the reluctance of pharmaceutical giants to share their technology, which left low- and middle-income countries waiting months for life-saving vaccines, Neves and Ano Bom set out to create a more equitable solution.
Their goal was to create an mRNA vaccine that could be easily adapted to target various diseases and shared freely with vaccine manufacturers worldwide. After two years of intensive work, the team has successfully developed a COVID-19 vaccine candidate using their own mRNA and encapsulation methods, designed to avoid patent infringement.
The project has expanded beyond its initial scope, with the Brazilian Ministry of Health funding research into mRNA vaccines for diseases such as leishmaniasis, Oropouche, mpox, and RSV. The team has also established Latin America’s first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility that meets international safety standards.
Neves and Ano Bom’s work has gained international recognition, including an “Altruism Award for the Improvement of World Health” from the Ibero American Society of Neonatology. Despite facing numerous challenges, the scientists remain committed to their mission of improving global vaccine accessibility.
The duo credits their long-standing friendship as a key factor in their success. “I think that we succeed because we are in it together,” Neves said in an interview with NPR.
Read more about their work and journey in the article by Nurith Aizenman on September 9, 2024 for NPR’s Goats and Soda series: Whatever happened to … the Brazilian besties creating an mRNA vaccine as a gift to the world
And the original article about their work, from July 13, 2022: These Brazilian besties are inventing an mRNA vaccine as a gift to the world
Watch this video from CGTN America from August 20, 2022 about their work:
This is an excellent initiative that will save the world. More vaccine plants need to be developed in poor countries so that vaccine can be delivered to the inhabitants. Great work Brazil.