Merck Joins TRANSVAC2 Program to Advance Vaccine Development and Manufacturing

- TRANSVAC2, part of the EU's Horizon 2020 program, provides trainings to streamline vaccine manufacturing and development

- Merck to offer its M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Molsheim, France for process development skills training

DARMSTADT, Germany, May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced its participation in a collaboration with the Vaccine Formulation Institute and the European Vaccine Initiative. The effort will provide vaccine process development training courses within TRANSVAC2, a collaborative infrastructure project under Horizon 2020. 

"Involvement in this project is a natural extension to our longtime focus on accelerating vaccine development and manufacturing," Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "Through the TRANSVAC2 initiative, we are able to lend our expertise in vaccine research and development in this critically important field."

Funded by the European Commission (EC), TRANSVAC2 exists in part to accelerate vaccine development by enhancing European vaccine research and training and increase sustainability of EC vaccine projects by implementing a permanent research infrastructure for early vaccine development. Merck is among a list of collaborators joining the TRANSVAC2 program. 

As part of the program, Merck will hold a two-day training module in 2019 and in 2021 and will host applicants, selected by the TRANSVAC2 Course Selection Panel, at Merck's recently inaugurated M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Molsheim, France. Participants will experience simulated lab processes, which will help them acquire fundamental skills needed for process development and will acquaint them with a single-use environment.

Merck's focus, to find effective ways to accelerate vaccine development and manufacturing, includes collaborative work with leading research institutes and industries to introduce new technologies that advance the global vaccine industry. For this initiative, Merck is tapping its internal manufacturing expertise and process knowledge in viral vaccines and vectors.

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About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 52,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene- editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – Merck is everywhere. In 2018, Merck generated sales of €14.8 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

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