BioNTech Gains On Project Malaria Launch With Eye On Africa Vaccine By Investing.com

By Dhirendra Tripathi

Investing.com – BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) stock rose more than 3% Monday following the launch of the company’s ‘Project Malaria’ which aims to develop a vaccine to prevent malaria in Africa.

The vaccine will be developed on the company’s mRNA platform, the basis for its highly successful Covid-19 vaccine.

BioNTech will assess multiple vaccine candidates featuring known malaria targets such as the circumsporozoite protein, as well as new antigens discovered in the pre-clinical research phase.

The most promising mRNA vaccine candidates will be selected for clinical development. The start of the clinical trial for the first vaccine candidate is planned for the end of 2022.

The second objective of the company is to develop sustainable vaccine production and supply solutions on the African continent. BioNTech is exploring possibilities to set up state-of-the-art mRNA manufacturing facilities, either with partners or on its own, a note by the company said.

The German company is also working on developing vaccines against dreaded diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.

According to the WHO, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2019, with 409,000 estimated to have died.