In support of the yearly seasonal influenza vaccine epidemic, CSL Seqirus collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre in Melbourne, Australia to prepare vaccine seeds and potency reagents that are made widely available. This is an important contribution to assist with the global effort to prepare for the forthcoming vaccination season. Influenza remains a significant global health concern and CSL is committed to collaborating with like‑minded partners to advance CSL’s understanding of the human response to influenza and to discover new and innovative vaccine solutions for this and other viruses. By collaborating with Arcturus Therapeutics, CSL has gained access to Arcturus Therapeutics’ advanced mRNA vaccine platform technology, which has shown promising results in multiple, large Phase III studies for COVID-19. Through this collaboration the commercialisation of a COVID (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine has significantly advanced with the Japanese approval of KOSTAIVE®, the world’s first self‑amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, for initial vaccination and booster for adults 18 years and older, and the ongoing partnership with Arcturus Therapeutics will continue to drive the development of new vaccines and therapeutics. Strategic support for innovative medical research Living by CSL’s core values, CSL supports the next generation of researchers around the world and over the past year CSL has continued to sponsor collaborative innovation through the endowment of the following awards to researchers around the world. In partnership with Australia’s Life Sciences Innovation Accelerator, CSL has been an active supporter of the Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) initiative to support the commercialisation of medical research from bench to bedside. The REDI Fellowship Program brings skilled Australian researchers, tech-transfer professionals and clinicians into industry settings to work on real-world medical research projects and gain valuable industry experience. The practical knowledge they will gain in research translation and commercialisation aims to enhance the depth of experience within academic settings and help drive the translation of more Australian medical research to improve human health outcomes. As of 2024, CSL has hosted five REDI Fellows and continues to provide ongoing support to the overall governance of the project as members of the Steering Committee. The Heimburger Award is a global award available to researchers across the world. Professor Dr Norbert Heimburger, a CSL Behring employee for over three decades, was a pioneer of modern coagulation therapy. Among his many achievements, Prof. Dr Heimburger developed virus-safe plasma products based on pasteurisation, including launching the first effectively virus‑inactivated FVIII concentrate in 1981. In his honour, CSL Behring created the Heimburger Award, recognising clinical and/or preclinical research of emerging coagulation specialists who are driven to improve the care of patients with bleeding disorders. In May 2023, five recipients from the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and Austria received this award. In October 2023, two scientists were each awarded a CSL Centenary Fellowship, valued at A$1.25 million over five years. Dr Daniel Utzschneider will use his fellowship to accelerate research into targeting T cells which can become exhausted from the constant battle against cancer thus reducing the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Dr Utzschneider’s research seeks to understand T cell biology, why T cells become exhausted, and how to boost their numbers and their ability to fight cancer. Dr Ankur Sharma has discovered how liver cancer cells grow together in a similar way to the rapidly dividing cells of a human embryo; this behaviour allows liver cancer cells to resist treatment. His fellowship will support his research to analyse these cells and determine which liver cancers may respond to immunotherapy with a vision to develop vaccines against cancer. Both of these research projects will generate fundamental knowledge that could transform how CSL fights these diseases to improve outcomes for patients. 29
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