Post by
Noteable on Jan 09, 2023 3:54pm
Moderna's CEO Stephan Bancel comments on mRNA cancer vaccine
January 09, 2023 - Further to a televised interview on CNBC Moderna's CEO Stephane Bancel commented on the company's work on its mRNA cancer vaccine in collaboration with Merck (MSD) and the immune checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda.
Bancel indicated that the vaccine work is focused on the above I/O combinations' T-cell response and the 44% response rate seen in the treatment of melanoma.
Bancel specified with a degree of emphasis that Moderna is budgeting US$4.5 Billion this year towards this research, which is a significant level of R&D funding for this area of their business - and would suggest that Moderna and Merck are significantly committed to seeing this innovative I/O combination treatment approach come to market as-soon-as possible.
ONCY appears to have a significant leg-up on the activation of the T-cell response and the prevention of T-cell exhaustion by remodeling the TME and "priming" the innate and adaptive immune systems in advance of the sequential administration of immune checkpoint inhibition, for example. I would think that any ONCY acquirer such a Pfizer would want to seek an accelerated approval for pelareorep in combination with their CPI in an effort to gain a first to market advantage.
Comment by
Noteable on Jan 09, 2023 3:57pm
Bancel's CNBC interview took place at the JPM Healthcare conference being held in San Francisco this week.
Comment by
Noteable on Jan 11, 2023 12:59pm
Now both Moderna and BioNTech have announced that they are diverting significant resources towards the development of their oncology programs, in the areas that ONCY has developed pelareorep which now happens to be "Phase 3 ready" and that can be translated into "accelerated approval ready".
Comment by
Noteable on Jan 09, 2023 4:23pm
A significant differentiator between Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine candidate and ONCY's oncolytic virus pelareorep is that pelareorep is delivered through intravenous (IV) injection while Moderna's cancer vaccine can only be delivered by subcutaneous (SC) or intratumoral (IT) injection thus limiting Moderna's vaccine to accessible cancers like melanoma.
Comment by
westcoast1000 on Jan 09, 2023 6:10pm
That is a very important point regarding delivery of a possible mRNA vaccine, and how it differs from pela.
Comment by
westcoast1000 on Jan 09, 2023 8:34pm
Along those lines, how does a vaccine help if you already have cancer. Is it not intended to prevent the disease, not cure it? If so, where do they give you the shot?
Comment by
Noteable on Jan 10, 2023 2:32pm
Checkpoint inhibitors are all "universal" with some working better than others in certain cancers. What pelareorep does is to enhance the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors through a synergistic effect in which a combination of pelareorep and a checkpoint inhibitor are more effective than either as a monotherapy. Something the company has been saying for a long time.
Comment by
itntdf on Jan 10, 2023 3:00pm
i don't doubt for a minute that both brad and matt believe that and have taken pela as a preventitive. with the safety profile of pela, why not? if it's ever approved for one indicaiton, it will probably be used widely in off-label situations.