The University of Queensland announced its collaboration with Moderna to use mRNA research for vaccine development of diseases that pose risks of causing future pandemics. The university previously collaborated with CSL—a major biotechnology firm now responsible for the manufacturing of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia—on producing a COVID-19 vaccine. The deal was called off, however, by the Australian government in December 2020 after trials found participants testing false positive to HIV. UQ’s new partnership with Moderna “will focus on diseases that have the potential to emerge as a future pandemic and diseases that are already a problem in low and middle-income countries, like dengue fever, malaria, tuberculosis and the zika virus,” Prof. Paul Young from UQ said. Other diseases in consideration include Group A Streptococcus and Whitmore’s disease, which is present in the subtropical areas of Northern Australia. “This partnership is a coup for UQ with advances in vaccine delivery …