Skip to content
Home page - Centenary Institute Centenary Institute

Primary menu

  • Research
        • Research

          The latest medical research into our most complex health challenges across biomedical AI, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, immunity, age-related, rare and infectious diseases.

          Learn more

        • Biomedical AI
        • Cancer Innovations
        • Cardiovascular Research
        • Healthy Ageing
        • Infection & Immunity
        • Inflammation
        • Rare Diseases & Gene Therapy
        • Laboratories
        • Diseases
        • Expertises
        • Breakthroughs
        • Technologies
          • Clinical Translation
  • Support us
        • Support us

          By supporting the Centenary Institute you can help improve human health through excellence in medical research

          Learn more

        • Workplace giving
        • Host or join a fundraiser
        • Gift in your Will
        • Donate in Memory
        • Community and research
  • Careers & students
        • Careers & Students

          Postdoctoral and postgraduate students can work alongside world-leading medical researchers within state-of-the-art research facilities.

        • Career Opportunities
        • Student Opportunities
  • Health hub
        • Health hub

          A range of practical information to assist in the possible preventions to disease through evidence-based research on how the body works.

          Learn more

        • Inflammation
        • The Good Gut Anti-Inflammatory Diet
          • Healthy Recipes
        • Ageing
        • Exercise Snack Program
  • News & events
        • News & Events

          Explore the latest research breakthroughs and ways you can take part in our series of digital and in-person events

        • News
        • Events
        • Media Hub
          • Statements
        • Real stories
  • About us
        • About us

          We are world-leading independent medical research institute that drives collaboration to accelerate and translate solutions to our most complex health challenges

          Learn more

        • Governance
        • Corporate information
        • Annual reports
        • Our researchers
          • Animals in research
        • Contact
  • Donate
    Centenary Institute > News > MRFF grant to help fast-track Australian COVID-19 vaccine candidate

MRFF grant to help fast-track Australian COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Date time 13 May, 2021
News Type News type Media release
A collaborative project involving the University of Sydney, the Centenary Institute, the University of Technology Sydney and the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, has received funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to continue work on the development of a unique, single-shot vaccine against COVID-19 variants of concern.

The MRFF grant, worth $1.6 million, will allow the research team to undertake late-stage pre-clinical assessment of their protein based vaccine candidate. The aim is to be able to fast-track the candidate for testing in human trials.

“We’ve developed a unique, single-shot vaccine that in pre-clinical testing elicits potent SARS-CoV-2 specific immunity,” said lead investigator on the project Professor Jamie Triccas from the Faculty of Medicine and Health and the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, and also Centenary Institute affiliate.

“The vaccine is new and built on safe and well-characterised vaccine components that are cost effective to manufacture and don’t require ultra-cold chain storage.”

“In particular, we have partnered with ExcellGene to develop a highly effective form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen in our vaccine, using technology that permits rapid scale up of antigen production. Antigens are the critical triggers that induce the immune response in the body.”

“Ensuring a diverse, rapid and global vaccine supply to combat emerging variants will be necessary to end the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Professor Triccas.

Dr Claudio Counoupas, research scientist at the Centenary Institute and Chief Investigator on the project said that they had rapidly updated their vaccine candidate to incorporate the spike antigen from the B.1.351 (South African) variant of COVID-19.

“We’re hopeful that our vaccine may offer broader protection than first generation vaccines against emerging, highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants. This is key as we’re already aware that the B.1.351 variant of COVID-19 is able to avoid both natural and vaccine-induced immunity,” said Dr Counoupas.

Professor Phil Hansbro, Director of the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation and also a Chief Investigator on the project noted that a key research focus would be to determine both efficacy and safety of the vaccine candidate.

“We will be determining the optimal formulation of the vaccine candidate for maximal immunity as well as assessing vaccine tolerability and safety levels.”

“We will also be looking at developing a suite of vaccines specifically targeting other emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants as they arise,” said Professor Hansbro.

[ENDS]

Pictured: Dr Claudio Counoupas (left) and Professor Jamie Triccas (right).

Themes

  • Inflammation

    Inflammation

Media enquires

For all media and interview enquiries, please contact Alison Mendel

Phone number Phone Number +61 434 629 469

Email Email a.mendel@centenary.org.au

Media Release

Download

Recent Stories

  • New platform to evolve proteins for better therapies

    Researchers from the Centenary Institute, in collaboration with the University of Sydney, have developed a powerful new tool to evolve proteins directly within mammalian cells, offering a more effective way to design medical treatments tailored to the human body.
    News Type: Media release
    Date 08 May 2025
  • Turning off protein may help prevent liver cancer

    New research from the Centenary Institute has found that switching off a specific protein in liver cells may help prevent the early development of liver cancer.
    News Type: Media release
    Date 16 Apr 2025
  • Event shines spotlight on genetic heart disease in young people

    The Centenary Institute has hosted a community event, titled ‘A Needle in a Haystack: Unlocking the Secrets of Genetic Heart Conditions’. The event aimed to advance understanding of inherited heart disease and sudden cardiac death in young people.
    News Type: Community
    Date 10 Apr 2025
  • Finding answers for sudden cardiac death in young people

    Each week in Australia, up to three young people die suddenly and unexpectedly from sudden cardiac death, often due to an undiagnosed genetic heart condition. These conditions typically go unnoticed until tragedy strikes, leaving families devastated and searching for answers.
    News Type: Media release
    Date 02 Apr 2025

Subscribe to receive news on
research updates and free events

Newsletter

The Centenary Institute is a world-leading independent Medical Research Institute.

We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Centenary Institute stands.

About

  • About
  • Governance
  • Corporate information

Research

  • Our researchers
  • News
  • Media hub

Careers & studies

  • Career opportunities
  • Life at Centenary

Links

  • Contact
  • Privacy statement

Contact us

Building 93, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Missenden Rd
Camperdown NSW 2050 Australia
Telephone +61 2 9565 6100
Fax +61 2 9565 6101

Contact Privacy

Centenary Institute ABN 22 654 201 090 (DGR 1) • Centenary Institute Medical Research Foundation ABN 85 778 244 012 (DGR 2)
© 2017 Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology.

  • Linkedin
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram