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Flagship selection process
Building capability in more than one pillar serves to integrate a platform from beginning to end.
The flagship projects driving RNA innovation
The NZ RNA Platform’s first Flagship Projects are pioneering mRNA vaccines for staph and universal flu, advancing health security for Aotearoa and beyond.
The NZ RNA Platform has now selected its first two flagship projects, ambitious research programmes designed to showcase the full potential of RNA science in Aotearoa. These projects were chosen because they tackle urgent health challenges for New Zealand and the world, while also stretching our scientific capability across the Platform’s seven “pillars” of RNA research, design, manufacture, and testing.
Tackling superbugs: an mRNA vaccine for staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus (often called staph) is a tough and dangerous bacterial infection. It’s one of the leading causes of death from infection in New Zealand and around the world. The problem is getting worse as staph becomes resistant to more and more antibiotics, making it harder to treat. Past attempts at vaccines haven’t worked, but RNA technology is opening up a brand-new path.
At the University of Auckland, Dr Fiona Radcliff is leading a project to create an mRNA vaccine against staph. Instead of trying to attack the bacteria directly the vaccine teaches the immune system to spot and block the proteins that staph uses to hide from our body’s defences.
The early signs are exciting. In lab studies, the vaccine produced strong and protective immune responses that inhibit the activity of the proteins targeted by the vaccine. The team is now fine-tuning the recipe, testing new strategies to deliver the mRNA safely into cells and stimulate an immune response that effectively targets staph.
In conjunction with University of Auckland based co-lead Associate Professor Nikki Moreland, the team will begin laying the foundations for future trials in humans. With intellectual property already secured, this work could one day lead to the world’s first effective vaccine against a deadly superbug.
The project began with seed funding from the RNA Platform’s Fast Start initiative, and has now been selected as a flagship project, receiving deeper investment to accelerate progress.
Project lead
Senior Research Fellow
University of Auckland
Associate Professor
University of Auckland
Preparing for the next pandemic: building a universal flu vaccine
Seasonal flu vaccines do a decent job, but they have big gaps. They protect against some strains of influenza, yet often miss others, and in the case of a pandemic, they provide little protection. For decades, scientists have been chasing a “universal flu vaccine” that could guard against many strains at once.
At the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Dr Lisa Connor and her team are taking on this challenge with RNA technology. Their goal is to design a vaccine that targets the virus’s most stable parts, regions of the influenza hemagglutinin protein that rarely change. By focusing the immune system on these conserved regions, they hope to create broad, long-lasting protection that works against both seasonal and pandemic flu.
To achieve this, Dr Connor has teamed up with Professor Wayne Patrick, a biochemist and protein engineer at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, to create new immunogens that direct the immune response precisely towards those conserved parts of the virus. Their first set of data is promising. AI-guided designs have not only heightened immunity but also sharpened the antibody response towards those unchanging regions. Building on this success, the team is now working to expand the response to cover a wide range of influenza viruses. The project blends powerful new tools, like AlphaFold AI protein modelling, with advanced RNA delivery systems. And because the vaccine design is modular, it can be quickly updated if the virus mutates.
With New Zealand-specific immune profiling and strong support for manufacturing and regulation, this work could place Aotearoa at the forefront of global pandemic preparedness.
Project lead
Programme leader - Connor laboratory
Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Why these projects matter
Flagship projects like this one aren’t just about single discoveries. They show how New Zealand can deliver the full RNA development pipeline, from choosing a target, to designing the RNA, to manufacturing, testing, and eventually translating it into the clinic.
By investing in bold, high-impact projects such as the staph and universal flu vaccines, the NZ RNA Platform is building the foundations for future medicines that could save lives here in Aotearoa and around the world.
Contact
To learn more about the projects, please reach out to us.