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Polaris, a multinational biotechnology company, has signed a corporate research sponsorship agreement with the Vaccine Research Center at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to jointly fund the development of “Fluvid,” a universal messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine targeting influenza and coronaviruses. Polaris will leverage this vaccine technology to accelerate vaccine and cancer therapy research, aiming to become Taiwan’s first company to popularize mRNA technology.

Dr. Shao-Chen Chen, CEO of Polaris, stated: “No company in Taiwan currently possesses this technology, and we are determined to be the first pioneer. We are deeply honored to receive assistance from Dr. Feigen, a globally renowned authority in this field.”

This agreement was facilitated by the Industry-Sponsored Research team at the Bell Center for Applied Innovation at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Dr. Phil Fergner, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine and Director of the Vaccine Research Center, along with Dr. Hugh Davis, Associate Director of the Center, represented UCI in the negotiations.

Dr. Phil Felgner, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine and Director of the UCI Vaccine Research Center.
Photo. Steve Zylius/UCI

mRNA technology instructs cells to produce the genes encoding proteins related to diseases like COVID-19 through injection, thereby teaching the body how to create a specific protein. It mimics how viruses infect cells, triggering a similar immune response without the risk of infection. According to Davies and Felgner, the discovery of mRNA vaccines dates back over 30 years, when DNA and mRNA were first injected into living animals and produced the encoded proteins within them.

“The remarkable efficacy of mRNA vaccines, combined with the speed of developing a new mRNA vaccine for clinical trials, will transform how all vaccines are developed in the future,” said Davies, the project’s principal investigator.

Learn more about partnering with UCI Technology.

All photo。 Widen Collective/Steve Zylius/UCI

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