UK-MRNA-2300098 | November 2023
MODERNA’S CLINICAL LABORATORIES ARRIVE AT HARWELL CAMPUS
The state-of-the art labs will help improve and accelerate the drug development process andcontribute towards discovery of new mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.
The clinical laboratories were constructed in Northumberland and transported to the Harwell Scienceand Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire by a convoy of 52 lorries over several weeks.
LONDON, UK.—(ACCESS WIRE)— 22 November, 2023—Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA) has completed
the installation of its state-of-the-art clinical laboratories into its Moderna Innovation and Technology
Centre (MITC), located at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
The clinical biomarker, bioanalytical and molecular assays laboratories will process samples from
Moderna’s clinical trials across the UK and Europe. They will enable Moderna to rapidly evaluateclinical data on the effectiveness of potential therapeutics and vaccines, as part of its ambition tobring mRNA manufacturing and research to UK shores and provide the public with access topandemic response capabilities.
Once operational, the facility will store clinical samples in an automated, custom-built biobank.
Moderna intends to share consented samples with approved research institutions across the UK andEurope to benefit the wider life sciences ecosystem.
“We are delighted to mark this important milestone in our commitment to developing a mRNA
research, development, and manufacturing facility in the UK.”, said Darius Hughes, UK General
Manager at Moderna. “We would like to thank our partners at Merit for constructing the off-sitecomponents of these state-of-the-art laboratories, which will play a key role in our search for newvaccines and therapeutics.”
The MITC, which will also contain a manufacturing facility, is being constructed as part of Moderna’s
ten-year strategic partnership with the UK government and is anticipated to bring hundreds of jobs
to the region. As part of the strategic partnership, Moderna is also working with academic and NHS
partners across the four nations, bringing research, clinical trials, and skills development to many
parts of the UK.
The clinical labs will begin operations in 2024, with the manufacturing facility expected to becompleted in 2025.
Attributable quotes
Philippa Harvey, Director of the COVID Vaccine Unit at UKHSA said: “Working with industry is anintegral part of our strategy to protect the nation’s health and provide the UK with greater resilienceagainst a future pandemic. The construction of Moderna’s clinical laboratories in Harwell, Oxfordshire,is an important milestone in our 10-year partnership with Moderna and for life sciences in the UK.”
Stuart Grant, Chief Executive of Harwell Campus said: “The delivery of these prefabricatedlaboratories is another fantas�c example of innova�ve UK engineering being deployed at Harwell
Campus. We are excited to take such a signiﬁcant step towards comple�ng the Moderna Innova�onand Technology Centre and enabling such crucial research.”
Tony Wells, CEO at Merit said: “It’s incredibly exciting to see the offsite components of this facility
leave our Cramlington factory for Harwell, Oxfordshire. Ultimately, our team has pioneered a high-UK-MRNA-2300098 | November 2023
quality, specialised offsite solution that will bring highly advanced technology and medicines to market
to help protect public health across the UK.”
ENDSNotes to editors:
About Moderna
In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna (known in the UK as Moderna Biotech Distributer UK Ltd)
has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger
RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics acrossseven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio and integrated manufacturing facilities thatallow for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad
range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for thepursuit of both ground-breaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's
capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use of effective vaccines against the COVID19 pandemic.
Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science,delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics andvaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune diseases. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.co.uk
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
Harwell is the UK's leading science and innovation campus, where government, academia and industry
work together to solve the critical problems facing our planet. The campus is home to £3bn nationalfacilities and 6,000 colleagues committed to scientific discovery and understanding.
Moderna is the latest organisation to join Harwell’s thriving Health Tech cluster which has grown toover 70 life science organisations since it launched in 2016.
The campus’ unique combination of expertise in the development of vaccines and mRNA technologies
includes: Europe’s largest collection of open access, publicly funded scientific facilities, such as The
Rosalind Franklin Institute and the Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator and commercial organisations
including: Catalent, Vaccitech, NeoVac and Nanovation Therapeutics.
Harwell is managed and developed by a joint venture between the Science and Technology Facilities
Council, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the private sector investor, Brookfield.
Follow us on twitter and LinkedIn @HarwellCampus, or learn more here www.harwellcampus.com
About Merit
Merit is the UK’s first industrialised construction and digital manufacturing specialist and prides itself
on its ability to design and engineer-controlled environment solutions for the healthcare, biotech,pharmaceutical, semiconductor, aerospace and nuclear sectors, specialising in the delivery of complex
cleanroom construction and M&E services that require stringent regulatory approvals.
Merit has developed a range of market specific proprietary ‘DFM&A Platform designs’ through 4D BIM
and vertically integrated digitally manufacturing to deliver construction through an entirely new ‘clean
sheet of paper’ approach focused on productivity, sustainability, and successful repeatable projectUK-MRNA-2300098 | November 2023
outcomes. Merit believes its FLEXI POD® and UltraPOD®+ products are the first truly disruptive I4.0
industrialised construction platforms to be demonstrated in operation.
Headquartered in Northumberland, it employs over 300 people in the UK and owns further facilities
in London and Scotland. For further information visit www.merit.co.uk
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including regarding: construction of the Moderna
Innovation and Technology Centre and Moderna’s ten-year strategic partnership with the UK
government; Moderna’s aim for the facility to provide the UK public with access to domesticallymanufactured mRNA respiratory vaccines, pending assessment and licensure; the anticipatedcreation of jobs during construction and operation of the facility; and expected timing for the Drug
Substance and Manufacturing facility to become operational. The forward-looking statements in thispress release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance onthese forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties,
and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna’s control and which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include those other risks and uncertainties describedunder the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2022, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and in
subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility forupdating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event ofnew information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are basedon Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release.
Moderna contact:
Emma Gilgunn-Jones
Director, Communications
emma.gilgunn-jones@modernatx.com
Harwell contact:
Dan Metcalfe
Director of Communications
dan.metcalfe@harwellcampus.com
Merit contact:
Camilla Bailey
Marketing Assistantcamilla.bailey@merit.co.uk
SOURCE: Moderna, Inc.