Sanofi will invest about 400 million euros, or $476 million, each year in its new mRNA Center of Excellence, the French drugmaker announced June 29.
The center will focus on developing mRNA vaccines that tackle diseases beyond COVID-19. It will employ 400 people and operate at Sanofi's sites in Cambridge, Mass., and Lyon, France.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA technologies demonstrated potential to deliver new vaccines faster than ever before. However, key areas of innovation such as thermostability and tolerability improvements will be critical to unlock the applications of mRNA in routine vaccination against a broader set of infectious diseases and across all ages. The Sanofi mRNA vaccines Center of Excellence aims to lead the field in this next chapter of vaccine innovation," Jean-Francois Toussaint, PhD, Sanofi's global head of research and development, said in a news release.