Clinical trials for Australia’s first messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine candidate will begin in the new year, the Victoria state government has announced. Victoria Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford said the vaccine candidate production made Victoria a leader in mRNA therapeutics and manufacturing. “It is an incredible achievement to have made an mRNA vaccine candidate that is ready for clinical trials,” he said. The vaccine candidate was created to fight against the Beta COVID-19 variant, which has since died out but also began in southern Africa. The trials will be run by the Doherty Institute, which has provided the research and modelling for Australia’s national plan to reopen the country after the pandemic. Doherty Institute Head of Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group Professor Terry Nolan said it was a “major milestone” in Australia’s ability to manufacture home-grown COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. “We are excited to commence Phase 1 clinical trials of this candidate, along …