The mRNA flu vaccine race heats up with two human trials commencing

Biotech firm Moderna has commenced human trials testing an mRNA influenza vaccine targeting four separate viral strains.

Building on its profoundly successful mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the company is ultimately planning to develop a single vaccine against multiple respiratory viruses.

It is impossible to understate the incredible success of mRNA vaccines over the past year. The stunning efficacy of this vaccine technology against SARS-CoV-2 is offering the world a path out of this global pandemic. And the technology is now rapidly moving forward on another problematic viral disease, influenza.

Moderna’s influenza vaccine candidate is currently dubbed mRNA-1010. It’s the company’s first flu vaccine to move to human trials and it targets four separate strains of the virus: influenza A H1N1, H3N2, influenza B Yamagata and Victoria.

The beginning of Moderna’s trial follows the recent commencement of another Phase 1 mRNA influenza vaccine trial. Developed by mRNA therapeutic company Translate Bio, and accelerated by pharma giant Sanofi, this vaccine focuses solely on the H3N2 strain of influenza.

The Translate Bio/Sanofi trial will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of two different mRNA formulations.