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news.Merck and Moderna Therapeutics have partnered to develop and commercialize novel messenger RNA (mRNA)-based personalized personalized cancer vaccines.
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The collaboration will bring together Merck’s immuno-oncology know-how and Moderna’s mRNA vaccine technology and GMP manufacturing capabilities.
Moderna’s mRNA vaccine technology will be used to develop personalized cancer vaccines that encode a patient’s specific neoantigens, eliciting an immune response aimed at recognizing and destroying cancer cells.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Moderna will receive $200m cash from Merck to carry out all research and development efforts through proof of concept.
The development program will include various studies in several types of cancer and the evaluation of mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines in combination with Merck’s Keytruda.
Moderna will also use the upfront payment to fund a part of the build-out of a GMP manufacturing plant in Boston.
After the completion of human proof of concept studies, Merck has the right to make an additional undisclosed payment to Moderna.
If exercised, both the firms will then equally share cost and profits under a global collaboration to develop personalized cancer vaccines.
Moderna will have the right to elect to co-promote the personalized cancer vaccines in the U.S.
The companies will also have the ability to combine mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines with other (non-PD-1) agents.
Merck Research Laboratories president Roger Perlmutter said: "While the area of personalized cancer vaccine research has faced challenges in the past, there have been many recent advances, and we believe that working with Moderna to combine an immuno-oncology approach, using KEYTRUDA, with mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines may have the potential to transform the treatment of cancer.
Moderna Therapeutics CEO Stéphane Bancel said: "Our team has made significant progress since beginning our work in personalized cancer vaccines just last year.
"Through this collaboration with Merck, we are now well-positioned to accelerate research and development with a goal of entering the clinic in 2017, as well as to apply our unique GMP manufacturing capabilities to support the rapid production of these highly individualized vaccines."