RNA Production Consortium named as Australian game-changer for 2021
The Australian RNA Production Consortium (ARPC) has been featured as one of Australia's game-changers for 2021 in the Sydney Morning Herald article, "Who Mattered 2021".
The RNA biomedical experts of ARPC, including Professor Thomas Preiss at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, are praised for their effort in securing mRNA manufacturing facilities in Australia.
They "win hearts, minds and dollars in a climate of confusion, suspicion and misinformation," wrote Sydney Morning Herald's national science reporter Liam Mannix.
Professor Preiss, alongside Associate Professor Archa Fox at the University of Western Australia, Professor Pall Thordarson at the University of New South Wales, Professor Damian Purcell at the University of Melbourne, Professor Nigel McMillan at Griffith University, and Professor Colin Pouton at Monash University, initially formed the ARPC team in August 2020.
Later, in May 2021, Trent Munro at the University of Queensland and Professor Anton Middelberg at the University of Adelaide joined the team as biomanufacturing experts.
The eight experts have been proactively advising governments on various matters pertaining to RNA therapeutics and technologies, convincing NSW and Victoria to establish pilot mRNA facilities and the federal government to invest in a national manufacturing facility.
In July 2021, the ARPC team cohosted a National RNA Science and Technology Roundtable with the Australian Academy of Science to
inform policymakers and science funders of Australia's priorities in RNA research.