Biotech giant and mRNA vaccine pioneer Moderna announced on Wednesday that it has kicked off its Phase 1 trial of the Nipah virus (NiV) vaccine candidate and dosed the first participant in the trial.
Moderna developed the new vaccine, mRNA-1215, in collaboration with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“Our partnership with NIAID to advance mRNA-1215 for Nipah virus reflects our commitment to advance a portfolio of 15 vaccine programs by 2025, targeting emerging or neglected infectious diseases that threaten global health. Since Nipah virus is a deadly pathogen for which there is currently no vaccine or treatment, Moderna is eager to bring our mRNA expertise to this partnership with the hope of halting the virus’ pandemic potential to protect the health of our global citizens,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel.
NiV is a zoonotic virus most commonly spread by fruit bats, also called flying foxes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disease can cause brain swelling and death.
Moderna’s Zika vaccine moves forward, too
In addition to the NiV program, Moderna has moved its potential Zika vaccine (mRNA-1893) candidate into Phase 2 clinical trials.
Zika is a newly discovered illness seen as a severe danger to world health, similar to NiV.
With the advancement of the NiV vaccine development program and the company’s portfolio of COVID-19, Zika, and HIV clinical trials, Moderna has made headway on four of the 15 priority vaccine programs the company committed to creating by 2025, which are intended to combat emerging or undermentioned infectious diseases that pose a threat to global health.
