Moderna has some fancy new data

Moderna, which for years touted big ideas and raised billions while presenting very little data, is gathering investors in New York today to showcase some scientific evidence. That is, the company will detail how its custom strands of mRNA can turn the body’s own cells into medicine-making factories.

The new data being presented from two programs targeting cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus are still preliminary, but also go further than ever before to prove Moderna’s mRNA technology can create effective drugs and vaccines. But heart-related side effects seen in a single chikungunya study participant also raise questions about the safety of its mRNA-based medicines.

This preliminary efficacy “is the most important scientific achievement in my lifetime,” Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks told STAT’s Adam Feuerstein. “I’m super encouraged by the progress we’re making.”