Indonesia and China Develop World's First mRNA Dengue Vaccine

mRNA technology, previously known for combating the Covid-19 virus, is now being developed for the first time in the history of world medicine to counter the dengue fever virus.

The vaccine, which utilises the genetic material (preM-E gene) of a dengue strain native to Indonesia, is the result of joint research between the University of Indonesia (UI), Tsinghua University (China) and PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia.

This momentum marks an important milestone for the independence of the national vaccine industry. If successful, the product will be the world’s first mRNA vaccine for dengue fever, as well as the sixth antigen Indonesia is capable of producing from upstream to downstream.

“If this succeeds, it will be one of the new vaccines produced in Indonesia with the most advanced technology. We must be grateful to Indonesian researchers who are now on a par with researchers worldwide,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Thursday (9/7).

This acceleration initiative is the fruit of lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, when Indonesia lacked access to emergency medical needs such as vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. Budi explained that during the 2020-2022 period, the government was determined to build its own research facilities. From originally having only one vaccine company, Indonesia now has four: Bio Farma, Biotis, Etana and JBio.

Of the 16 antigens required for the national routine immunisation programme, only 11 antigens can currently be produced locally, of which 5 are produced independently from upstream, starting from research and vaccine seed production through to manufacturing. Meanwhile, the remaining 6 antigens are limited to assembly or final formulation processes because their raw materials are still imported from China and India.

“My target is that, before 2030, the remaining antigens must all be produced in their entirety from upstream to downstream,” he asserted.

Dengue was chosen as a priority based on the high number of cases in Indonesia. Data from the Health Ministry records approximately 151,000 dengue cases each year with 650 deaths. This figure places it among the diseases with the highest burden, alongside TB (1 million cases with 125,000 deaths), HIV (570,000 cases with 25,000 deaths) and malaria (520,000 cases with 132 deaths).

“We prioritise the development of new vaccines based on the highest incidence burden and mortality rates. Mothers certainly do not want their children to be injected with too many types of vaccines, so we choose those that are truly a priority,” Budi explained.

He called on all Indonesian scientists and researchers to turn research results into real products that save lives, rather than stopping at scientific publications alone.

This collaboration has been in the works since 2023. Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Stella Christie, revealed that, while still a professor, she brought together the UI research team with Professor Zhang Linqi of Tsinghua University, one of the world’s leading vaccine experts.

“Almost all effective vaccines in the world were born from university research. This kind of collaborative model is important; we do not sign an MOU first and then work, but rather start working together in earnest first, and the MOU follows. Needs analysis, budget support and ministry commitment must all run together,” she said.