Australia's first RNA Research and Manufacturing Facility has officially opened at Macquarie University, establishing a new hub for the development and GMP manufacture of next-generation RNA therapeutics.
The facility was designed by HDR, built by Hindmarsh Construction and will be operated by Aurora Biosynthetics.
The 4,500 sqm facility has been funded through a A$96m (US$66.27m) investment by the New South Wales Government and delivered by Health Infrastructure NSW on behalf of the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer.
Located within the Macquarie University Innovation Precinct in Sydney, the facility combines specialist research laboratories with GMP-compliant cleanroom manufacturing suites capable of producing mRNA, synthetic RNA (sRNA) and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations for clinical trials.
The facility has been developed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial manufacture, providing biotechnology companies, researchers and industry partners with access to pilot-scale GMP production within Australia.
It is the country's only facility capable of supporting the full spectrum of RNA technologies under one roof.
The facility will enable process development, analytical testing and clinical-grade manufacturing from a single location.
The investment forms part of the New South Wales Government's strategy to strengthen Australia's sovereign manufacturing capability for advanced therapeutics following the supply chain challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to supporting RNA vaccine development, the facility is expected to accelerate work on RNA-based therapies for cancer, rare genetic diseases and infectious diseases, while also supporting applications across agriculture, animal health and biosecurity.
Aurora Biosynthetics will operate the facility as a national manufacturing resource, supporting collaboration between academia and industry while providing Australian biotechnology companies with domestic access to GMP manufacturing capacity for RNA medicines.
