Australian scientists will be at the centre of efforts to wipe out a raft of deadly diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, Japanese encephalitis and HIV by developing new-age vaccines that could go from laboratory to human trials within 100 days.

Moderna, a biotechnology juggernaut behind messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, said it would work with five global institutions, including the University of Queensland, to further develop mRNA technologies that could help wipe out some of the most lethal and tenacious diseases affecting the developing world.