Moderna enters clinical trials of mRNA-based influenza vaccine

[ad_1]

On Wednesday, Moderna announced the first injection of an mRNA-derived seasonal influenza vaccine to a human volunteer as part of a Phase 1/2 clinical study.

This is a very early test of the new vaccine technology, and is primarily geared toward building a basic understanding of “the treatment’s safety, interaction, and conclusion,” according to Moderna’s release. mRNA-1010, as the vaccine was called, is designed to be effective against the four most common strains of the virus, including A H1N1, H3N2, influenza B Yamagata and influenza B Victoria.

According to the World Health Organization, these strains cause between 3 and 5 million acute influenza infections each year, resulting in up to 650,000 influenza-related deaths annually. In the United States alone, approximately 8 percent of the population gets the flu every winter. The company hopes this vaccine will prove more potent than the current 40 to 60 percent effectiveness rate for traditional flu vaccines.

“We are pleased to begin this phase 1/2 study of mRNA-1010, the first seasonal influenza mRNA vaccine to enter the clinic. We anticipate that the candidate seasonal influenza vaccine will be an important component of the future respiratory family of vaccines,” said Stefan Bancel, CEO of Moderna. Respiratory vaccines are an important pillar of our comprehensive mRNA vaccine strategy. We believe that the advantages of mRNA vaccines include the ability to combine different antigens to protect against multiple viruses and the ability to rapidly respond to the evolution of respiratory viruses, such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. Our vision is to develop a combined mRNA vaccine so that people can have one injection every fall for highly effective protection against the most problematic respiratory viruses.”

This vaccine was produced using the same genomic technologies that the company used to develop a treatment for COVID-19 in 2020. This technology works by exploiting human body cells to reproduce clippings of viral DNA to induce an immune response and direct the body against a future infection. Because this method does not require the entire virus (whether weak or dead) but just a shred of its genetic code, mRNA vaccines can be applied to any number of modern killer diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and even cancer.

All products recommended by Engadget are handpicked by our editorial team, independently of the parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

[ad_2]