Sheffield to lead £7.6 million UK-South East Asia vaccine manufacturing research hub

A new vaccine manufacturing hub designed to address current and future pandemics in South East Asia is to be led by Sheffield researchers. 

The hub builds upon an existing relationship between the University of Sheffield and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. The two signed a Memorandum Of Understanding in January 2023 to strengthen their collaboration in learning and teaching, and research and development. The agreement  was spearheaded by Sheffield’s Professor Tuck Seng Wong, who is to be Director of the Hub alongside Professor Kiat Ruxrungtham from the Chula Vaccine Research Centre, Chulalongkorn University.

The hub aims to enable fair and timely access to affordable and high-quality vaccines in the area. These vaccines will target dengue, hand, foot and mouth disease, tuberculosis, rabies and hepatitis, with the Hub focusing on three vaccine types: protein, mRNA and viral vector.

This research project is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. It is part of the UK Vaccine Network – a UK Aid programme developing vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in low and middle-income countries. The Hub is a consortium of four UK universities, Sheffield, Cambridge, York and Kent, and 11 partners based in South East Asia covering Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.