German pharmaceutical firm and vaccine maker BioNTech on Friday said it had agreed in principle to establish an mRNA manufacturing facility in Melbourne.

The company said it would work with the government in the Australian state of Melbourne to collaborate “on the research and development of potential mRNA-based vaccines and therapies.”

Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology has already been employed successfully in BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, the German company said in a statement.

“BioNTech plans to set up a clinical scale end-to-end mRNA manufacturing facility based on its BioNTainer solution in Melbourne with the aim of supporting the design, manufacture, and clinical testing of product candidates.”

BioNTech said it also plans to expand its clinical development capabilities in Australia and evaluate the testing of additional therapeutic options for cancer.

“This partnership is a major step forward to enable access to mRNA technology and promote collaborations in the Asia-Pacific region,” said BioNTech boss Ugur Sahin.

“Australia provides excellent academic research, and we are looking forward to collaborating with world-class scientists and researchers to strengthen Australia’s mRNA ecosystem and to jointly develop potential novel treatments and vaccines for people worldwide.”

According to the company, its oncology pipeline currently comprises 18 product candidates in 23 ongoing clinical trials.