Moderna’s Latest Partnership Combines mRNA with Gene Editing
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As the cliff nears for makers of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, Moderna is busy filling its pipeline with non-pandemic assets. The mRNA vaccine maker forged a collaboration with next-gen gene editor Life Edit Therapeutics on Wednesday.
Life Edit’s technology will be combined with Moderna’s mRNA platform for development in vivo Gene-editing therapeutics against previously undisclosed “challenging genetic diseases,” according to the announcement.
In conversation with bioroomElevateBio CEO David Hallal said the partners had “buttoned up” the goal and research plan.
While he would not disclose specific therapeutic targets, he said that combining Moderna’s LNP delivery was the “ideal type of combination” for base editing Life Edit for development in vivo Therapeutics targeting the liver.
Moderna will foot the bill for joint research and pre-clinical studies. All selected targets will be taken over by Moderna for further development, manufacturing and commercialization.
Moderna is certainly not lacking in funds for the collaboration. The company’s COVID-19 vaccine brought in $18.4 billion in sales last year. Analyst estimates suggest those sales could fall by as much as 60% in 2023. With Spikevax being its only commercialized drug, Moderna is bolstering its pipeline with a number of other potential assets.
While its phase III mRNA seasonal flu vaccine candidate has shown efficacy against influenza A, it fell short on influenza B. Thanks to the flexibility of mRNA technology, the company is already updating its formulation to improve against this strain and trying to learn again with another.
In addition to vaccines, Moderna is also expanding its oncology platform. That in moderation. based biotech is collaborating with Merck to develop an mRNA cancer vaccine for patients with advanced melanoma. Patients treated with the vaccine plus Keytruda had a 44% reduced risk of recurrence or death compared to Keytruda alone.
In January, Moderna pumped $35 million upfront into a deal with oncology-focused CytomX, with potential milestone payments of up to $1.2 billion. The partners will develop conditionally activated mRNA cancer therapies.
Moderna’s newest employee is a spinout from AgBiome Delta. ElevateBio acquired Life Edit in 2021 to bolster its gene editing capabilities.
ElevateBio took over the small company and grew it to a 70-strong team to advance the gene therapy industry. Life Edit’s extensive library of novel RNA-directed nucleases grants “unprecedented access to the genome to target disease,” Hallal said.
Life Edit received an undisclosed upfront payment from Moderna with potential for additional milestone payments. Actual dollar amounts have been kept secret by the duo.