Thai and US researchers collaborate to develop vaccine for tuberculosis
Thai and US researchers will work together to develop vaccines for tuberculosis, a senior official at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health said on Monday.
The collaboration between Thailand's National Vaccine Institute and the US Department of Medical Sciences would enable Thailand to make its own mRNA vaccine, deputy permanent secretary at the ministry, Dr Pongkasem Khaimook, said.
The Thai institute and organisations under the ministry would be the primary sectors covered by this agreement, Dr Pongkasem said.
He said that as a result of the cooperation, Thai scholars are encouraged to join the international network of tuberculosis researchers supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft.
Pongkasem added that executives from the ministry had also been invited to visit the Vaccine Research Centre of the National Institute of Aids and Infectious Disease, a leading comprehensive research centre in the US.
The research centre generally develops, tests, and makes up to 15 different vaccines, including for HIV, influenza, Covid-19, Ebola, Zika fever, and tuberculosis.
