Kick-off and Implementation Plan Review Meeting for the National Science and Technology Major Project on Emerging and Major Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Successfully Convened

On October 9^th, the kick-off and implementation plan review meeting for the National Science and Technology Major Project on Prevention and Control of Emerging and Major Infectious Diseases—"Mpox Virus Vaccine Product Research," led by Sinopharm CNBG—was successfully convened in Beijing. A total of 36 participants attended, including experts from the project implementation plan review panel and research backbone members from participating institutions.

Mpox is an emerging infectious disease of global concern and has twice been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. The risk of outbreak transmission remains, and Mpox vaccines are key strategic products for China's emergency reserve against major public health emergencies. The project pursues multiple independent core technology routes and advances R&D on several Mpox vaccine products in parallel. It will further strengthen China's strategic emergency vaccine reserve capacity, enhance emergency response to major public health emergencies, and contribute significantly to safeguarding national public health security.

As the “national team” and “main force” of China's biopharmaceutical industry, CNBG has consistently shouldered its mission and responsibilities as a central state-owned enterprise. It leads national science and technology major project tasks, comprehensively builds an integrated innovation layout covering industry, academia, research, testing and application, continuously strengthens public health security barriers, and makes every effort to protect public health. At the meeting, the expert panel and project team conducted in-depth discussions on the implementation plan, fully affirmed its scientificity and feasibility, and offered guiding opinions.

At present, the project has pooled strengths and resources from industry, academia, research, and healthcare. Led by CNBG, it brings together 15 institutions, including the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Peking University, and the Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Relying on the National Key Laboratory of Novel Vaccine Research and Development for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the project team will focus on overcoming key core technologies for Mpox vaccines, strive to accelerate clinical application and commercialization, fill the gap in China's emergency Mpox vaccine products, and lay a solid foundation for the high-quality implementation of the national science and technology major project.

(Source: Department of Research Management)