Vaxxas, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has announced the opening of Vaxxas Biomedical Facility, its first manufacturing facility in Brisbane, Queensland.

The 60,000 square feet facility will serve as the company’s global headquarters and will aid in the scale-up of operations for the production of HD-MAP vaccines for future late-stage clinical trials and commercial products.

The Queensland Government has provided funding and operational support to Vaxxas for the facility. The Australian Government has also contributed additional funding through its Modern Manufacturing Initiative to facilitate the installation of specialized manufacturing and production infrastructure. This facility signifies a considerable investment in the future of Queensland’s and Australia’s biotech sectors.

Officiating the opening was Queensland Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, Dr. Steven Miles.

Steven Miles said: “Queensland is fast shaping up as a global research and innovation hub thanks to the Palaszczuk Government’s investment in state-of-the-art facilities like this one. Economic Development Queensland worked closely with Vaxxas to progress designs and approval for this facility, so it’s fantastic to be here to open it.

“The Government is committed to supporting Queensland biomedical start-ups to scale up successfully and ensure we keep this innovation and our best and brightest researchers on home soil.”

Vaxxas’ proprietary HD-MAP technology platform has the potential to revolutionize vaccinations. The platform aims to produce easy-to-use vaccines, potentially enabling self-administration and offering stability at room temperature. This reduces the complexities and costs associated with refrigerated distribution required for many existing vaccines.

Currently, Vaxxas employs 130 people in its Queensland operations and plans to expand its workforce to 200 employees over the next three to five years.

Vaxxas Biomedical Facility will allow Vaxxas’ R&D teams to collaborate with manufacturing teams, enhancing existing R&D work and streamlining the transition from research to commercialization.

Additionally, Vaxxas Biomedical Facility provides a blueprint for scalable product production processes that can potentially be replicated by Vaxxas both domestically and globally as demand for its platform technology increases.

David Hoey — Vaxxas CEO said: “The Vaxxas Biomedical Facility represents a new and exciting chapter for our company, as it is foundational for our next phase of growth. With the support of the Queensland State and Australian Federal Governments, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility will firmly position Australia at the forefront of vaccine technology innovation.

“The site will significantly increase our manufacturing capacity, creating new local, skilled jobs, while enabling Vaxxas to progress through late-stage clinical trials that will bring our first commercial vaccine products to the market.”

  Australia, Brisbane, David Hoey, Queensland, Steven Miles, Vaxxas