The University of Otago is part of a nationwide alliance to secure a vaccine for New Zealand – Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Ohu Kaupare Huaketo (VAANZ), working with several research groups, institutions and companies around the country, including the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Victoria University of Wellington, AgResearch, Avalia Immunotherapies, ESR and South Pacific Sera.
Three main candidates are being pursued, with Professor Miguel Quiñones-Mateu's team leading work on an inactivated viral vaccine candidate. Another being developed at the Victoria University of Wellington is a recombinant spike protein vaccine. The third is a pan-coronavirus vaccine that Avalia Immunotherapies are exploring with international collaborators.
Associate Professor James Ussher, VAANZ's science director, said Otago is also a key partner in developing a vaccine evaluation pipeline. The SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated in the University's PC3 lab will be used in a preclinical challenge model to measure antibody responses following vaccination to see if they can block infection. A strategy is also being developed for second-generation vaccines in case the virus mutates and for any future coronaviruses that may emerge.
"We're trying to stay one step ahead of the virus by having vaccine candidates ready to go and could just be taken off the shelf and slotted straight into a vaccine development programme," he said.
Otago researchers have also used their expertise and connections to help Pacific nations develop their COVID-19 diagnostic programmes. This was initiated through the Maurice Wilkins Centre of Research Excellence, which involves a wide range of scientists from around the country, including Otago.
Professor Miguel Quiñones-Mateu and colleague Associate Professor James Ussher (Microbiology and Immunology) have worked together to help Samoa with testing protocols and guidance about purchasing equipment and reagents, allowing them to secure funding and purchase what they needed to implement a COVID-19 testing programme.
The Malaghan Institute, a world-renowned research facility in New Zealand that houses state-of-the-art research technologies, is among these is New Zealand's first end-to-end preclinical RNA therapeutics platforms. The recent pandemic has heralded advancements in RNA technology, and as the Covid storm calms, it leaves a clear sight of this technology's potential in our future.
They are working to develop and improve the RNA technology used to make mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. This technology works by using a carefully designed RNA molecule in a lipid-based envelope. Once injected into the body, the envelope delivers the RNA molecule safely to a cell, and the cell's machinery then reads the RNA molecule's instructions to produce a specific protein. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, this was the spike protein, which empowered our immune system to mount a response to a COVID-19 infection.
The RNA technology allows New Zealand to develop vaccines and treatments for a wide range of human diseases, from cancer to influenza, as well as diseases that affect our agricultural sector and native animals. It gives us the autonomy to tackle New Zealand-specific problems, including diseases that disproportionately affect our Māori and Pasifika populations and problems that might not be profitable enough for big pharma.
Of course, if there is a future pandemic, this work will mean we have the resources to start working on vaccines and therapeutics.
Overall, the RNA technology being developed at the Malaghan Institute has the potential to address New Zealand-specific health problems and improve the country's biotech capabilities. Their work is critical to making this technology accessible to everyone who may need to develop a therapy.
