Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doling out a series of funding for epidemic countermeasure research in Korea.
SK Bioscience, a vaccine researcher and developer firm, said on May 18 that it has nabbed $3.6 million financial backing from the US foundation for to research the biologic structure of an optimal antigen for epidemics.
This comes a day after the announcement of some $9.7 million funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Korean telecom company KT’s research for epidemic preparedness solutions using information and communications technology.
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The funding SK Bioscience has received from the foundation is greater than what the Korean government has given -- 100 million won ($81,000) -- for the company’s research for the development of synthetic antigens that could be potential vaccine candidates for COVID-19 and related epidemics. SK Bioscience said it will fine-tune the budget with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global union that is leading the world’s COVID-19 vaccine research.
The company said it is confident of delivering accelerated study results based on its research and development experience in cell-cultured flu vaccine, cervical cancer vaccine and pediatric enteritis vaccine. It also has its own good manufacturing practice-abiding facility.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)