Domestic Supply Chains for Vaccine Manufacturing

Organizations: Amyris and University of California, Berkeley 

Year launched: 2022 

This project brings together scientists and engineers from industry and academia to develop and demonstrate pilot-scale manufacturing of several lipid adjuvants to support coronavirus vaccine production. By using microbial fermentation and domestic plant extraction processes, this research will help remediate unsustainable supply chain bottlenecks for vaccine adjuvants. Specific demonstration molecules in this project include natural product adjuvants currently sourced from threatened plants and animals.  

Adjuvants play a critical role in the safety, efficacy, delivery, and stability of vaccine formulation. This project will have a direct impact on recently tested first-line coronavirus vaccines and will also serve as a foundational roadmap for the sustainable production of vaccine components in the future. 

Funding source: Special funding opportunity for Coronavirus response and preparedness distributed through the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of the American Rescue Plan 

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