The rapid production of safe, effective and consistent vaccines is essential for supporting COVID-19 immunisation programmes in the UK and globally. However, manufacturing vaccines is challenging for various reasons that include the complex processes involved, the specialist knowledge and experience required, and the natural variability of the biological materials and systems used. Urgent demand is leading to manufacturers and governments taking on significant financial risks in order to speed up production. What is the UK Government doing to accelerate vaccine manufacture? How are vaccines made? Why is manufacturing vaccines at large scales so challenging?
Documents to download
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The 100,000 Genomes Project (289 KB, PDF)
In 2012, the Prime Minister announced plans to sequence 100,000 genomes. The project aims to establish a genomic medicine service within the NHS and support the Government strategy for UK Life Sciences. This POSTnote provides an introduction to genomic medicine and an overview of the aims, structure and major challenges of the 100,000 Genomes Project.
Documents to download
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The 100,000 Genomes Project (289 KB, PDF)
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