President Museveni has pledged government support to Dei Biopharma Limited, a biotech and pharmaceutical research firm duly incorporated in Uganda, specializing in the development and manufacture of innovative medicines and vaccines in obtaining a license for a number of their locally produced vaccines to enable their use on the global market.
Speaking during the meeting at State House Entebbe on Sunday, President Museveni acknowledged Dr. Matthias Magoola’s efforts, pledging that the government will work towards expediting the National Drug and Health Products Act, a vital step to enable the National Drug Authority (NDA) to attain WHO Maturity Level 3 accreditation that facilitates it to license vaccines produced locally for use in global markets.
According to Dei Biopharma proprietor Dr Matthias Magoola, the company has filed over 100 patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for treating different diseases and vaccines, including for cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, Sickle cells, Malaria, TB and Diabetes.
Dr. Magoola and his team used the mNRA technology to come up with cutting-edge products that are very unique in the world of medicine.
Thus, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on February 6, 2025, published his patent for a novel cancer treatment using guided RNA.
Dr Magoola contends that the invention, which has been in the making for years, represents a significant advancement in cancer therapy. It utilizes a novel composition of guided RNA attached to the Cas9 protein.
This complex targets and disrupts mutated genes responsible for cancer, preventing their repair and ultimately killing the cancerous cells. The details have been published by the USPTO.
While the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which allows for precise gene editing, was first invented by Prof. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Prof. Jennifer Doudna who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr Magoola and Dei Biopharma’s invention takes this technology a crucial step further. Instead of allowing the cell to repair the disrupted gene, the method prevents this repair, leading to the targeted destruction of cancer cells.
The invention is specifically designed to treat cancer by disrupting the mutated genes. It targets only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. This specificity offers the potential to treat all types of cancer, regardless of stage, and eliminates the debilitating side effects associated with traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy, antibody therapy, and radiation.
Dr. Magoola thanked President Museveni for the support, adding that the 12 facilities at DEI BIOPHARMA needed 8MW of power to be provided by the government to enable the production and sterile production of vaccines and other critical medicines.
“We are grateful for the support from the government, and especially His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni, for his unwavering support to Ugandan scientists and in particular to the Dei BioPharma drugs and vaccines manufacturing project. Without his dedicated support, we wouldn’t be achieving these milestones and it is fair that we must thank and credit him for these achievements. These achievements are for Uganda and specifically for our dear President for he has always stood up for the scientists in this country,” Dr. Magoola said.
Earlier on January 7, 2025, the USPTO accepted an application by Dei Biopharma for the invention of the world’s first universal vaccine against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), an infection that has been wreaking havoc in livestock across the country and other parts of the world.
This invention, titled “Affordable Universal Fusion Universal Vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease Infections,” will according to Dr Magoola, save the government billions of shillings it has been spending on importing vaccines.
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