£1bn bid to be health superpower

BRITAIN could become the global superpower at treating disease, the government says.

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health and Science Editor

Ministers yesterday signed a £1billion deal with drugmaker BioNTech to pioneer mRNA technology for fighting the next pandemic and preventing cancers.

The Covid jab-maker is investing in three centres of excellence that will also use artificial intelligence to develop new drugs for a range of diseases.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: "There are two totally transformative technologies coming together - mRNA as a tool for vaccines, plus artificial intelligence. We as a country can be not just a leading force but the superpower that the world needs when it comes to treating disease."