The University of Toronto and Moderna, Inc. – known for its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine – plan to work together to develop new tools to prevent and treat infectious diseases.
Guided by a partnership framework agreement, the U.S. biotechnology firm will collaborate with U of T researchers who are working across a wide range of fields, including molecular genetics, biomedical engineering, biochemistry and beyond.
The research partnership – Moderna’s first with a Canadian university – was announced Monday during a visit by company executives to U of T’s St. George campus.
Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, said U of T is excited to work alongside Moderna to protect society from current and future health threats.
“Today we are delighted to announce that Moderna is partnering with U of T, and is keen to do so because Moderna recognizes that there is nowhere else in the world where you can find expertise at scale like you can at U of T,” Cowen said during an executive meeting of Moderna and U of T leaders at Simcoe Hall.
“It’s not every day that an opportunity presents to combine a world class life-sciences research community and a disruptive biological innovator. We are proud to say that today is one such day.”
Cowen touted the diversity found at U of T – which reflects that of Toronto, the province and Canada as a whole – as a key strength of our research ecosystem.
The company’s research pipeline also includes development candidates for several other mRNA-based vaccines and therapies – with several clinical trials and discovery programs already underway.
Patricia Gauthier, Moderna’s country general manager in Canada, said the firm is looking forward to tapping U of T’s interdisciplinary expertise to accelerate shared priorities in medical research.
Prof. Leah Cowen
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives, UofT
Canada Research Chair in Microbial Genomics & Infectious Disease
Co-Director of the CIFAR Fungal Kingdom: Threats & Opportunities program