Tesla is now hoping to help find a vaccine for COVID-19, as reported by Reuters, and Elon Musk has announced a partnership with Curevac, a Germany-based company that has been developing mRNA production units. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has referred to these units as “RNA microfactories.” These “microfactories” are also designed to ship to remote locations, as well.
Musk tweeted publicly that he believes that synthetic RNA “has amazing potential.” For those who are unaware, RNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine that many experts believe will be a dramatic improvement over current DNA vaccines. However, it should be noted that there are currently no RNA vaccines approved for human use. It is unclear, as of press time, how many units that Tesla is expected to produce.
Tesla, as a side project, is building RNA microfactories for CureVac & possibly others
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2020
Yes, at Tesla Grohmann
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2020
Curevac is based in Tubingen, about 20 miles from Stuttgart. The company is apparently a “pioneer” of the RNA approach, and is backed by the internationally-known Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Curevac also enjoys headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, as well.
Curevac also recently received permission for a clinical trial, and the German government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the company in hopes of developing a coronavirus vaccine. The German government did so in exchange for a minority stake in the company.
