"BioNTech" cancer vaccine factory to be established in Jerusalem
The facility of the German company is also expected to facilitate better preparation for epidemics as well as create hundreds of new jobs in the city
At a Calcalist conference held in London, the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, announced that "A BioNTech factory for the development of vaccines for cancer will be established in Jerusalem."
The mayor also announced that he would fly to Germany the following day for his first visit to the BioNTech company's main factory. The company intends to build a factory in Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim Hi-Tech Park that will create hundreds of new jobs in the city.
Mayor Moshe Lion and Israel's Accountant General Yali Rothenberg, together with the Jerusalem Development Authority, signed an agreement with the management of BioNTech for the establishment of a cancer vaccine development and production center in Jerusalem using mRNA technology.
BioNTech, an immunotherapy company based in Mainz, Germany, is a pioneer in the field of treatments for cancer and other serious diseases. The company's management recently met with Mayor Moshe Leon and Accountant General Yali Rothenberg, and reached the agreement with them on the establishment of a groundbreaking development and production center for cancer vaccines in Jerusalem using mRNA technology.
The establishment of such a development and production center will enable better preparation for future epidemics, along with the development of medicines and vaccines, including ones for cancer. In the coming years, the company plans to establish and operate a facility for the production of mRNA-based drugs in the factory that will be established in Jerusalem. The plant is designed to facilitate the clinical development of research cancer treatments as well as increase Israel's ability to respond to potential health threats.
A total of 28 dunams (28,000 square meters) of land will be allocated to the company for this purpose. The center is expected to create hundreds of high-quality jobs in the city.
BioNTech, which has a wide variety of treatments and therapeutic drugs that were created through the rapid development of innovative biopharmaceuticals, is the company that in 2020 invented the COVID-19 vaccine that was distributed in commercial cooperation with the Pfizer company.
The Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion added, "After hard work over the past year, the task has been successfully completed. I congratulate the management of BioNTech on its trust and decision to open a development and production center in the city of Jerusalem. This decision is an expression of confidence by one of the largest multinational companies, and one of the leaders in the field, in the relative advantage of the city of Jerusalem and its research and medical institutions in life science fields in Israel and in the world. The hundreds of high-quality jobs that are expected to be added to the city's economy are part of a growing trend of companies choosing Jerusalem as their home. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government and the inter-ministerial team that worked hard in recent months to help make the vision a reality."
