COVID Vaccine Developer BioNTech To Build mRNA Manufacturing Plant In Singapore

German biotech company BioNTech announced that it will be building a fully integrated mRNA manufacturing facility in Singapore as well as planting its regional (Southeast Asian) headquarters there.

BioNTech is world-famous for partnering with Pfizer to develop a COVID-19 vaccine with a efficacy rate of 95% – according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). That vaccine uses mRNA to teach the body’s cells to make a protein that triggers an immune response that creates protective antibodies.

The Singapore mRNA manufacturing plant will apparently be capable of producing a range of novel mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer. With COVID vaccine shortages in many parts of the world right now, it goes without saying that the plant could be an incredibly important asset against future pandemic threats.

Explaining why the company picked Singapore, CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin said, “Singapore provides an excellent business climate, growing biotechnology industry and rich talent base.” He thanked the Singapore Economic Development Board for supporting the firm’s expansion there.

The company plans to open its Singapore headquarters in 2021 and begin construction of the manufacturing plant the same year, subject to planning approval. It expects the site to be operational as early as 2023, creating up to 80 jobs in the country.

Borderlands Developer Gearbox Acquired By Sweden’s Embracer Group

Developer Gearbox Studios, which is responsible for the highly popular Borderlands games, announced that it had been acquired by Swedish company Embracer Group. As described by Gearbox, the deal would give it access to capital, while allowing for a great deal of autonomy. Randy Pitchford, Gearbox’s famously outspoken CEO and founder, is set to remain as the company’s head.

“[Embracer Group CEO] Lars’s vision of Embracer as an allied partner group committed to fueling and accelerating the ambitions of a series of decentralised, successful entrepreneurial companies while magnifying the collective value and advantages of diversification across the entire group is the most brilliant strategy and design for short, medium, and long-term success in this industry that I have ever encountered in my 30 years in this industry,” said Pitchford.

The deal will see Embracer Group initially pay US$363 million (~RM1.5 billion) to Gearbox, with another US$1 billion (~RM4.1 billion) coming later if agreed-upon financial and operational targets are met in the next six years.

Speaking to VentureBeat, Pitchford suggested that other developers within the Embracer group could eventually work on the Borderlands franchise which is also being turned into a movie with actor Kevin Hart set to play one of the leads. As IGN noted, other developers under Embracer Group are known for titles like Metro Exodus, World War Z, and Dead Island.

“There are a lot of folks that would love to work on Gearbox IP, and Gearbox would love to help some of the Embracer Group games that might be stronger in other markets be published more effectively in North America,” he said.