Dawn of a New Era

Today Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine, authorized by the FDA for emergency use and judged by review boards to be both safe and highly effective in protecting against COVID-19, will reach hospitals and clinics around the country. From there, it will be administered to patients, protecting them against a dangerous, in some cases deadly virus that has caused untold devastation around the world.

This milestone is a marked victory for the twin forces of pioneering science and breakthrough innovation: a vaccine that has been pioneered, tested, manufactured, and authorized for emergency use based on record-setting safety and efficacy data in record time. How was this improbable journey made possible?  

As co-founder and chairman of Moderna, a company conceived and launched from our Flagship Labs, I have reflected on this question a great deal in recent weeks. While the answer is of course complex and multifaceted, it can be reduced to three driving forces: a powerful platform, extraordinary people, and committed, responsive partners.

First, the platform: the messenger RNA design, delivery, development, and production platform invented by Moderna is entirely without precedent. It was the result of ingenuity, persistent experimentation, incorporation of a digital framework in every aspect, and smart automation and artificial intelligence. These elements and an unparalleled capital infusion exceeding $2 billion enabled the creation of an entirely new class of medicines.

Second, our people: starting from the exemplary leadership and running throughout the entire Moderna organization, we have benefited from a level of devotion, creativity, and fearlessness that exceed any I have witnessed in my 33 years of starting life-science ventures.

Finally, our partners: simply put, Moderna would not have been in the position to swing into action in late January if not for our partners and investors over its ten-year life – especially in its earliest incarnations. In addition, we were fortunate to have longstanding partnerships with the US government through the NIH, the NIAID led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and BARDA, among others. These were augmented by the newly formed Operation Warp Speed, Lonza (a leading contract manufacturer of biologics), and many other critical collaborators without whose equally intense and world-class performance the quality and speed of execution that enabled our COVID-19 vaccine would not be possible.

Commentators and others have noted the powerful emotions evoked in so many of us as we see photographs of the first vaccinations against COVID-19 begin to be administered: what some have called “doses of awe and hope.” Science and innovation, at their best, harness hope and possibility and transform them into reality and progress. Today marks such a transformation, as well as an important step toward greater health security for all.

We at Flagship Pioneering are proud founders of NewCo LS18, later renamed Moderna Therapeutics, and are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to its emergence as a promising biotechnology leader blazing a path to eradicate disease. The Moderna experience, together with those of many other Flagship-pioneered platforms that are improving human health and sustainability, encourage us to keep doing what we do: push beyond the boundaries of science, invent platforms, invent companies, and pioneer impact. Seeing the societal benefit is our greatest reward.