By Mike Cherney

SYDNEY--Australia-based biotech giant CSL Ltd. is partnering with university researchers to accelerate the development of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate that, if proven effective, could be available in 2021.

CSL believes it can produce up to 100 million doses of the vaccine toward the end of 2021, and would also subcontract to other global manufacturers to broaden the geographic distribution of production, CSL and its partners, the University of Queensland and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said Friday.

CSL said it was appointed the trusted manufacturer for the university's "molecular clamp"-enabled vaccine candidate. The agreement formalizes the support provided by CSL to the university and the coalition from the start of the pandemic.

There is a pending Phase 1 safety study being led by the university. Early preclinical results showed the vaccine candidate produced high levels of antibodies that can neutralize the virus. In general, the "molecular clamp" technology locks certain proteins in a form that allows the immune system to respond more effectively.

"The partnership will enable the rapid development of the vaccine candidate through clinical trials," said Richard Hatchett, the chief executive of the coalition, which brings together public, private and philanthropic organizations and was launched at Davos in 2017.

"By investing in large-scale manufacturing capacity now, we can reduce the time needed to deliver millions of doses of the UQ vaccine to those who need them most if it proves to be safe and effective," Mr. Hatchett said.

The university research also received funding from the Queensland state government, the Australian federal government and philanthropic partners, said Peter Høj, vice-chancellor and president of the university. 



  Write to Mike Cherney at mike.cherney@wsj.com