Egypt’s EVA Pharma, France’s DNA Script, and Belgium’s Quantoom Biosciences have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 2nd Vaccine and Health Products Manufacturing Forum for African Union Member States, organized by the Africa CDC and hosted by the Egyptian United Procurement Authority (UPA) in Cairo. This strategic alliance aims to develop the world’s first digital-to-biologics, end-to-end mRNA production platform, dedicated to advancing nucleic acid-based vaccines and therapeutics—including mRNA and saRNA vaccines—for both human and animal health.
A Landmark Moment in Global Health Security
“This partnership represents a turning point in global health security,” said Dr. Riad Armanious, CEO of EVA Pharma. “Our combined efforts will provide scalable, next-generation solutions that can transform vaccine development timelines—from years to mere weeks. This is not a future promise; it is happening today. With our advanced biologics manufacturing infrastructure already producing 100 million vials and 1.5 billion doses of animal vaccines annually, we are poised to leverage mRNA technology to streamline vaccine production while ensuring the highest standards of safety.”
The collaboration will harness the cutting-edge enzymatic DNA synthesis technologies of DNA Script, integrated with Quantoom’s groundbreaking Ntensify® mRNA synthesis and Ncapsulate® formulation technologies. This will be paired with EVA Pharma’s extensive expertise in vaccine development, GMP-compliant sterile manufacturing, and commercial distribution. Based in Egypt, the joint venture aims to address critical healthcare needs, including rapid responses to infectious disease outbreaks and widespread immunization campaigns, with the ambitious goal of producing 100 million doses of RNA-based vaccines annually.
This partnership also focuses on promoting regional autonomy in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, strengthening Africa’s vaccine production capabilities, and advancing the One Health approach, which aims to address both human and animal health to combat zoonotic diseases at their source.
Advancing Africa’s Vaccine Sovereignty
The initiative is aligned with Africa CDC’s target to achieve 60% local vaccine production by 2040, and with Egypt’s goal to produce 385 million vaccine doses annually by 2030—an ambitious vision to make the country a global leader in vaccine manufacturing. In addition to enhancing public health resilience, the collaboration will bolster food security and support regional health infrastructure across Africa and the Middle East, reinforcing pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.
Marc Montserrat, CEO of DNA Script, highlighted the transformative role of their technology: “Our partnership with EVA Pharma and Quantoom is a leap forward in making vaccine development faster, more efficient, and more accessible. By significantly reducing the time required to produce DNA templates and enabling the synthesis of more complex and longer DNA sequences, we are ensuring that cutting-edge vaccine technologies can reach high-risk populations more rapidly than ever before.”
José Castillo, CEO of Quantoom Biosciences, added: “This collaboration demonstrates the incredible power of pooling expertise from diverse regions. Together, we are not only advancing RNA technologies but also addressing health inequities by making life-saving vaccines and therapeutics accessible to underserved populations worldwide.”
Catalyzing Biopharma Growth in Africa and the Middle East
Hala Audi, CEO of Unizima, emphasized the broader impact of EVA Pharma’s leadership in the region: “EVA Pharma’s commitment to biopharma innovation is already demonstrating its potential to create both health and wealth in Africa and the Middle East. We are proud to support the transfer of cutting-edge DNA and RNA manufacturing technologies to Egypt, contributing to the region’s growth and development in biopharmaceuticals.”
This MoU underscores a shared vision of advancing global health equity and fostering sustainable biopharma development. By combining their expertise, the partners aim to deliver versatile, scalable, and impactful solutions that will not only reshape healthcare in Egypt but also strengthen regional and global pandemic preparedness, ensuring greater health security for generations to come.
