This Tuesday morning (14/05) the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Institute of Immunobiological Technology (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz) held an event in celebration of the partnerships formed for the development of the Institute's RNA Platform. The meeting brought together representatives of companies, foundations and bodies of the judiciary that collaborated in the establishment of the project.

The celebration began with a speech by Fiocruz's executive director, Juliano Carvalho, who highlighted the importance of proximity between the private sector and science and technology institutes for the development of research that has an impact on the lives of the population.

Mauricio Zuma, director of Bio-Manguinhos, welcomed those present, remembering that the success of the initiative will impact not only Brazilian public health, but the entire region, as Fiocruz was one of the institutions selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) , in September 2021, to function as a messenger RNA technology hub for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We are celebrating the Bio-Manguinhos RNA platform with great happiness, as the results are very promising and we believe that we will be highlighted not only in Brazil, but in Latin America as a whole, driven by the Pan-American Health Organization, which is also present here.”

Afterwards, the scientific leader of the Bio-Manguinhos RNA Project, Patrícia Neves, gave a presentation of the milestones and progress of the project, from its selection by the WHO to the next steps, starting from the operation of the production plant installed on the third floor of the Centro Henrique Penna (CHP), with the production of batches in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) later this year.

The celebration also included a tribute from Fiocruz to the partner companies and institutions present, who after the ceremony were also able to see in person the future production plant of the RNA platform.

Closing the event, the president of Fiocruz, Mário Moreira, thanked again the partnership with these institutions, and recalled the importance of this type of cooperation for the advancement of science and research institutions in a country like Brazil, which has limited financial resources and which need to be prioritized, and praised the role of Bio-Manguinhos for Brazilian health, especially remembering the Institute's work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is a pleasure to see this project progressing so well and I would like to record on behalf of the Fiocruz presidency and other directors present here how proud we are of Bio-Manguinhos, to know that we have an institution that worked 24 hours a day during the pandemic. a day, 7 days a week, for two years to face that crisis that befell us. To you a word of thanks, recognition and gratitude. Hail Bio-Manguinhos!”

Text & English Version: Thais Christ
Imagem: Manuela Machado