The Premier was joined on campus by the Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Anoulack Chanthivong, the Minister for Medical Research, David Harris, and the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte. Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius, was also part of the milestone sod turn, marking the start of construction on the $96 million facility.
Premier Minns said: “This world-leading facility will fast-track potentially life-saving research and development by accelerating our biomedical research capabilities and boosting early-phase clinical trials to combat disease.
“This is a new dawn for healthcare in NSW and an extraordinary opportunity for us to grow important new high-tech companies.
“RNA technology is proving revolutionary by delivering instructions to the body to make its own medicine. It could radically shorten the timeframes for vaccine and therapeutic development and is making new ways of treating disease entirely possible.”
Australian first: Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius (far left), joined special guests, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, to turn the first sod as part of the construction of the country's first RNA Research and Pilot Manufacturing Facility.
RNA technology came to global prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it supported the rapid development and deployment of vaccines to combat the unprecedented health crisis.
The new facility, which will include laboratories and other support spaces, will be the first site in Australia and one of only a handful in the world, where a wide range of RNA vaccines, therapeutics and delivery technologies will be independently produced, providing NSW with scalable manufacturing opportunities that will bolster sovereign capability.
The facility will be operated by Aurora Biosynthetics, a subsidiary of Myeloid Therapeutics, and overseen by RNA Australia, a newly formed joint venture between the NSW Government and five universities, including Macquarie.
Professor Pretorius said the facility’s Macquarie University location would enable the leveraging of the nearby research expertise and innovation ecosystem.
"Macquarie University is proud to host this groundbreaking new facility, which is a significant addition to the thriving medical precinct within the Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District,” he said.
“RNA research has incredible potential, and we share in RNA Australia's vision for advancing biomedical science for the benefit of Australia and the world.”
Construction of the RNA Research and Pilot Manufacturing Facility is expected to be completed by 2026.
