Prime Highlights:
- Singapore’s ACES facility, dubbed a “biosecure ballroom,” is a flexible, state-of-the-art lab designed to rapidly develop vaccines for deadly diseases like Ebola and cholera.
- Merck and Wellcome are investing an additional £56 million to expand Hilleman Laboratories’ vaccine research and manufacturing capabilities for low-income countries.
Key Facts:
- The ACES facility is 30,000 square feet and features modular bioreactors that can be reconfigured to produce different vaccines, allowing quick pivoting during outbreaks.
- Hilleman Laboratories’ cholera vaccine candidate, Hillchol, simplifies production to a single strain and is in the WHO pre-qualification process, with approval expected in 2026.
Key Background:
In a nondescript building in southern Singapore, scientists don hazmat suits instead of tuxedos to enter what they call a “biosecure ballroom.” This state-of-the-art, 30,000 square-foot vaccine research and manufacturing facility, known as ACES, is designed to tackle the world’s deadliest diseases with speed and flexibility.
“You can waltz here, you can tango here, whichever vaccine you’re making dictates the dance,” said Mabel Chan, a senior researcher at the facility. The modular design allows researchers to pivot quickly between vaccine technologies, whether targeting Ebola, cholera, or future pandemic threats. Polished metal bioreactors sit on wheels, making the lab highly adaptable.
ACES is part of an innovative partnership between pharmaceutical giant Merck and the British philanthropic organization Wellcome. The collaboration began 16 years ago with the creation of Hilleman Laboratories, a joint venture named after Dr. Maurice Hilleman, who developed over 40 vaccines. The lab bridges the so-called “valley of death” in vaccine development, the gap between promising research and commercial production, focusing on immunizations for low-income countries.
Merck and Wellcome are investing a further £56 million over four years to expand the facility’s capabilities, including tackling superbugs. The move to Singapore also supports the city-state’s pandemic preparedness efforts, ensuring a rapid response if new threats emerge.
One key focus has been Ebola. Current vaccines require ultra-cold storage, complicating deployment in remote regions. Hilleman Laboratories is developing a more thermostable, cost-effective version, with production scaled by South Korea’s SK Bioscience, expected to be licensed by 2028.
Cholera is another success story. Hilleman’s candidate, Hillchol, simplifies existing vaccines to a single strain, easing manufacturing and technology transfer. The vaccine is in the WHO pre-qualification process, with approval anticipated in 2026.
“This model shows how industry and philanthropy can come together to deliver vaccines where there is no commercial market,” said Dr. Alex Pym, director of infectious disease at Wellcome. “Innovation and flexibility are key to preventing devastating infectious diseases in vulnerable communities.”
Singapore’s ACES facility stands as a symbol of modern vaccine development: adaptable, collaborative, and focused on saving lives worldwide.
