This photo provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) on Wednesday, shows (from L to R) NIID head Jang Hee-chang, National Institute of Health chief Kwon Jun-wook and Paul Burton, chief medical officer of Moderna Inc., at a signing ceremony for vaccine collaboration agreement held at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Sejong, central South Korea. (NIID)

South Korea's state-run National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with Moderna Inc., a US biotech company, to cooperate in the development of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidate for severe fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS).

The institute said the deal, signed Monday, was its first joint project agreement with an overseas pharmaceutical company. The institute said it expects the research to help elevate the center's research capacity.

Caused by viral infections, SFTS has a high fatality rate, but there is no preventive vaccine or therapeutic agent as of now.

Paul Burton, Moderna's chief medical officer, said the company plans to develop 15 vaccines by 2025, including infectious diseases that threaten global health but still remain largely unnoticed by the public.

Burton said the collaboration with the NIID was significant for serving as an important part of delivering on Moderna's promise of developing new vaccines. (Yonhap)