Moderna Therapeutics Inc is aiming to develop life-saving vaccines for cancer, heart disease and other conditions by 2030, according to remarks made by the company's chief medical officer, Dr Paul Burton, to the Guardian.
Burton highlighted the potential of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which has seen significant advancements since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and its applications in various disease areas.
Studies on vaccines for these conditions have shown "tremendous promise," he told the paper.
Burton also emphasised mRNA's ability to address rare diseases with no existing treatments, expecting such therapies to be available within a decade.
Among the anticipated vaccines is Moderna's personalised cancer vaccine, which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in combination with Merck's immunotherapy drug Keytruda for melanoma patients.
mRNA treatments work by introducing a small piece of genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) into the body.
This mRNA carries instructions to teach our cells to create a specific protein, usually a harmless part of a virus or other harmful agents such as cancer. Once the protein is produced, our immune system recognises it as foreign and mounts an immune response.
This response helps our body recognise and fight off the real virus or harmful agent if we encounter it in the future.