Complex Event Analysis - Report

Key Focus

I would be much more comfortable with SARS data."
Petrovsky said that while RNA vaccines are very fast to make, evidence that they are going to work is scant.
"In the past, we've seen they have poor immunogenicity, which means they don't stimulate the immune system very well," he said.
Said Zaks: "We've demonstrated the utility to generate the right kind of immune response time and again in multiple phase one trials."
The challenge of a dangerous phenomenon
One frequent hurdle for vaccine developers is a phenomenon known as disease enhancement, in which the vaccine actually promotes the infection and makes the disease worse.
"The worst possible thing you do is vaccinate somebody to prevent infection and actually make them worse," Fauci said at a White House briefing last month.
This phenomenon underscores the importance of animal trials, experts say.
This is what happens when coronavirus research funding gets political
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, worked on development of a vaccine for SARS. Some of the animals he vaccinated wound up sicker than the ones he didn't vaccinate, once they were exposed to the virus.
He told Reuters that he believes the Moderna trial should conduct animal studies prior to injecting the vaccine in humans.
"If there is immune enhancement in laboratory animals vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, that's a showstopper," he told the news organization.
A Moderna spokesperson said the company has not seen signs of enhanced disease in animal trials with the MERS vaccine that it was developing with NIH.
"Enhanced disease is a clinical finding that is very rarely seen," she said in an email.
Potential setbacks fall into two broad categories: the vaccine isn't strong enough to produce an immune response or the vaccine causes safety issues.
"It's possible there's no actual production of antibodies, in which because either the mRNA didn't get into the cells, the cells didn't make the proteins from the mRNA or the immune system didn't recognize those proteins

Indeed, it took just 42 days, as Bancel told Trump.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health are bullish.
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon 01:35
"A lot of our work that we've done previously has essentially driven us into what we call a rapid response," said Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the lead scientist for coronavirus research at the National Institutes of Health, in a recent interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. "The really interesting part about this is that we have a collaboration with Moderna," she added.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- a branch of the NIH -- said Moderna's vaccine platform is well-suited for responding to emerging outbreaks such as novel coronaviruses.
It "can be produced more quickly than with many other vaccine platforms," the NIAID said in an emailed statement

If the FDA's evaluation of these data support initiating human studies of a candidate coronavirus vaccine without first completing additional toxicology studies, then the FDA would consider allowing such human studies to proceed."
Petrovsky also noted that while NIH and Moderna worked on a MERS vaccine, they hadn't collaborated on a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) vaccine

No momentum supporting factor found

Challenge supporting factors

(coronavirus, funding, moderna, vaccine)

(coronavirus, immune, moderna, vaccine)

(coronavirus, moderna, nih, vaccine)

(immune, moderna)

(immune, moderna, vaccine)

(immune, moderna, vaccine, vaccines)

(immune, moderna, vaccines)

(immune, vaccine, vaccines)

(coronavirus, moderna, political, vaccine)

(coronavirus, immune, moderna)

Work-in-progress supporting factors

(moderna, mrna, vaccine)

(coronavirus, fda, moderna, vaccine)

(bancel, moderna, science)

(coronavirus, moderna, nih, vaccine)

(bancel, moderna, mrna)

(fda, moderna, zaks)

(experts, moderna, vaccine, zaks)

(fda, moderna, vaccine, zaks)

(experts, vaccine, zaks)

(fda, vaccine, zaks)

Complex Event Time Series Summary - REPORT

Time Period	Challenge	Momentum	WIP
Report	59.63	0.00	40.38

High Level Abstraction (HLA) combined

High Level Abstraction (HLA)	Report
(1) (coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine)	100.00
(2) (coronavirus,funding,moderna,vaccine)	96.83
(3) (moderna,mrna,vaccine)	84.02
(4) (coronavirus,immune,moderna,vaccine)	77.06
(5) (coronavirus,fda,moderna,vaccine)	73.48
(6) (immune,vaccine,vaccines)	66.06
(7) (immune,moderna)	65.91
(8) (immune,moderna,vaccine)	64.75
(9) (immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	64.45
(10) (immune,moderna,vaccines)	64.10
(11) (coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine)	58.73
(12) (experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine)	47.37
(13) (moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines)	45.60
(14) (experts,mrna,vaccine)	45.30
(15) (funding,moderna,vaccine)	43.92
(16) (bancel,moderna,vaccine)	42.04
(17) (moderna,race,vaccine)	41.89
(18) (moderna,mrna,nih)	41.10
(19) (moderna,product)	40.92
(20) (experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks)	40.82
(21) (experts,vaccine,zaks)	40.17
(22) (coronavirus,immune,vaccine)	39.84
(23) (coronavirus,immune,moderna)	39.22
(24) (immune,moderna,mrna)	38.92
(25) (experts,immune,moderna,vaccine)	38.25
(26) (experts,immune,vaccine)	37.56
(27) (coronavirus,fda,moderna)	37.45
(28) (coronavirus,product,vaccine)	36.48
(29) (coronavirus,fda,vaccine)	36.01
(30) (coronavirus,moderna,product)	35.77
(31) (agency,experts,moderna,vaccine)	35.71
(32) (fda,moderna,product)	35.51
(33) (coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine)	34.95
(34) (fda,moderna,product,vaccine)	34.67
(35) (fda,product,vaccine)	34.30
(36) (bancel,moderna,science)	34.22
(37) (coronavirus,moderna,nih)	34.17
(38) (bancel,nih,vaccine)	33.12
(39) (nih,vaccine)	32.97
(40) (moderna,nih,vaccine)	32.75
(41) (coronavirus,nih,vaccine)	32.62
(42) (coronavirus,funding,moderna)	32.54
(43) (coronavirus,funding,vaccine)	31.95
(44) (funding,immune,vaccine)	31.93
(45) (coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate)	31.63
(46) (moderna,mrna,vaccinate)	31.50
(47) (coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine)	31.09
(48) (agency,moderna,vaccine)	31.03
(49) (moderna,vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines)	31.00
(50) (moderna,vaccinate,vaccines)	30.90
(51) (coronavirus,vaccinate,vaccine)	30.88
(52) (experts,vaccinate,vaccine)	30.83
(53) (immune,vaccinate,vaccine)	30.79
(54) (mrna,vaccinate,vaccine)	30.75
(55) (vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines)	30.70
(56) (coronavirus,moderna,race)	30.44
(57) (agency,vaccine)	30.42
(58) (coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine)	30.10
(59) (coronavirus,race,vaccine)	29.99
(60) (coronavirus,moderna,political)	29.84
(61) (infection,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	29.56
(62) (infection,moderna,vaccines)	29.30
(63) (immune,infection,vaccine)	29.19
(64) (immune,political,vaccine)	29.06
(65) (infection,vaccine,vaccines)	29.02
(66) (coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes)	29.00
(67) (bancel,investors,moderna)	28.91
(68) (coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine)	28.68
(69) (immune,mrna,vaccine)	28.46
(70) (bancel,national_institutes,vaccine)	28.44
(71) (coronavirus,national_institutes,vaccine)	28.40
(72) (coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine)	28.35
(73) (experts,moderna,vaccine,virus)	27.86
(74) (bancel,moderna,mrna)	26.56
(75) (fda,moderna,zaks)	25.98
(76) (fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks)	25.49
(77) (fda,vaccine,zaks)	25.29
(78) (fda,moderna,washington)	24.95
(79) (household,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	24.71
(80) (fda,moderna,vaccine,washington)	24.62
(81) (fda,vaccine,washington)	24.51
(82) (moderna,science,vaccine)	24.36
(83) (fda,moderna,unproven)	24.23
(84) (federal,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	24.19
(85) (trump,vaccine)	24.08
(86) (fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine)	23.85
(87) (fda,unproven,vaccine)	23.74
(88) (fda,moderna,trump)	23.52
(89) (fda,moderna,trump,vaccine)	23.13
(90) (fda,trump,vaccine)	22.96
(91) (fda,moderna,sars-cov-2)	22.75
(92) (employees,moderna,science)	22.60
(93) (fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine)	22.36
(94) (fda,sars-cov-2,vaccine)	22.16
(95) (fda,moderna,safety)	22.01
(96) (fda,safety,vaccine)	21.37
(97) (fda,moderna,on_monday)	21.30
(98) (fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine)	20.91
(99) (dismissal,moderna,science)	20.87
(100) (moderna,mrna,vaccines)	20.61
(101) (fda,on_monday,vaccine)	20.61
(102) (fda,moderna,nine)	20.59
(103) (dismissal,science)	20.40
(104) (fda,moderna,nine,vaccine)	20.20
(105) (bancel,ceo,moderna)	20.14
(106) (fda,nine,vaccine)	19.86
(107) (coronavirus,covid-19,moderna)	19.02
(108) (bancel,health,moderna)	18.89
(109) (coronavirus,vaccine,vaccines)	18.50
(110) (mrna,vaccine,vaccines)	18.24
(111) (agency,moderna,science)	18.18
(112) (ceo,moderna)	17.68
(113) (agency,science)	17.53
(114) (agency,science,vaccine)	17.46
(115) (agency,experts,vaccine)	17.40
(116) (infection,moderna,mrna)	17.29
(117) (experts,infection,moderna,vaccine)	17.08
(118) (experts,infection,vaccine)	16.75
(119) (infection,mrna,vaccine)	16.67
(120) (enhancement,moderna,mrna)	16.54
(121) (enhancement,experts,moderna,vaccine)	16.32
(122) (enhancement,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	16.08
(123) (enhancement,moderna,vaccines)	15.96
(124) (enhancement,experts,vaccine)	15.91
(125) (enhancement,immune,vaccine)	15.80
(126) (bancel,moderna,technology)	15.80
(127) (enhancement,mrna,vaccine)	15.76
(128) (enhancement,vaccine,vaccines)	15.67
(129) (dismissal,experts,moderna,vaccine)	15.50
(130) (vaccine,white_house)	15.31
(131) (dismissal,science,vaccine)	15.22
(132) (dismissal,experts,vaccine)	15.18
(133) (science,virus)	14.92
(134) (mrna,vaccine,virus)	14.75
(135) (ceo,moderna,science)	14.75
(136) (experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house)	14.73
(137) (moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house)	14.62
(138) (experts,vaccine,white_house)	14.53
(139) (ceo,science)	14.49
(140) (mrna,vaccine,white_house)	14.42
(141) (moderna,mrna,virus)	14.23
(142) (moderna,science,virus)	14.14
(143) (moderna,virus)	13.73
(144) (experts,vaccine,virus)	13.67
(145) (experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	13.35
(146) (johnson,moderna,vaccine)	12.96
(147) (coronavirus,moderna,mrna)	12.96
(148) (johnson,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)	12.85
(149) (johnson,moderna,vaccines)	12.72
(150) (johnson,vaccine,vaccines)	12.70
(151) (household,moderna,vaccines)	12.20
(152) (household,vaccine,vaccines)	12.18
(153) (bancel,science)	12.07
(154) (federal,moderna,vaccines)	11.94
(155) (federal,vaccine,vaccines)	11.92
(156) (bancel,ceo)	10.41
(157) (bancel,coronavirus)	10.22
(158) (bancel,investors)	9.75
(159) (bancel,health)	9.57
(160) (health,moderna,mrna)	9.34
(161) (bancel,coronavirus,vaccine)	9.18
(162) (bancel,coronavirus,moderna)	9.08
(163) (moderna,science,venture)	8.90
(164) (mrna,technology,vaccine)	8.75
(165) (bancel,technology)	8.17
(166) (bancel,nih)	7.93
(167) (bancel,moderna,rossi)	7.57
(168) (moderna,rossi,technology)	7.46
(169) (bancel,moderna,nih)	7.35
(170) (bancel,moderna,national_institutes)	7.03
(171) (moderna,mrna,national_institutes)	6.88
(172) (moderna,technology,unproven)	6.71
(173) (moderna,safety,vaccines)	5.50
(174) (employees,science)	5.33
(175) (employees,science,vaccine)	5.26
(176) (corporate,moderna,science)	5.07
(177) (experts,moderna,vaccines)	5.02
(178) (corporate,science)	4.94
(179) (moderna,science,workforce)	4.61
(180) (science,workforce)	4.57
(181) (moderna,science,university)	4.33
(182) (adjuvants,immune,vaccine)	3.88
(183) (coronavirus,health,vaccine)	3.84
(184) (moderna,pushing,technology)	3.26
(185) (harvard_medical_school,moderna,technology)	3.23
(186) (moderna,technology,wework)	3.10
(187) (science,wework)	3.08
(188) (immune,schrum,vaccine)	3.08
(189) (moderna,technology,valuation)	3.04
(190) (moderna,stem-cell,technology)	3.00
(191) (moderna,sigmund_freud,technology)	2.98
(192) (moderna,scientists,technology)	2.95
(193) (moderna,revenue,technology)	2.93
(194) (formulation,immune,vaccine)	2.80
(195) (experts,science,vaccine)	2.65
(196) (experts,vaccine,vaccines)	2.39
(197) (bancel,health,vaccine)	2.05
(198) (bancel,trump,vaccine)	1.21
(199) (mrna,unproven,vaccine)	1.12
(200) (mrna,tropical_medicine,vaccine)	1.10

Complex Event Analysis - REPORT

Supporting narratives:

challenge (Read more)

I would be much more comfortable with SARS data."
Petrovsky said that while RNA vaccines are very fast to make, evidence that they are going to work is scant.
"In the past, we've seen they have poor immunogenicity, which means they don't stimulate the immune system very well," he said.
Said Zaks: "We've demonstrated the utility to generate the right kind of immune response time and again in multiple phase one trials."
The challenge of a dangerous phenomenon
One frequent hurdle for vaccine developers is a phenomenon known as disease enhancement, in which the vaccine actually promotes the infection and makes the disease worse.
"The worst possible thing you do is vaccinate somebody to prevent infection and actually make them worse," Fauci said at a White House briefing last month.
This phenomenon underscores the importance of animal trials, experts say.
This is what happens when coronavirus research funding gets political
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, worked on development of a vaccine for SARS. Some of the animals he vaccinated wound up sicker than the ones he didn't vaccinate, once they were exposed to the virus.
He told Reuters that he believes the Moderna trial should conduct animal studies prior to injecting the vaccine in humans.
"If there is immune enhancement in laboratory animals vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, that's a showstopper," he told the news organization.
A Moderna spokesperson said the company has not seen signs of enhanced disease in animal trials with the MERS vaccine that it was developing with NIH.
"Enhanced disease is a clinical finding that is very rarely seen," she said in an email.
Potential setbacks fall into two broad categories: the vaccine isn't strong enough to produce an immune response or the vaccine causes safety issues.
"It's possible there's no actual production of antibodies, in which because either the mRNA didn't get into the cells, the cells didn't make the proteins from the mRNA or the immune system didn't recognize those proteins
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines)
(mrna,vaccine,white_house)
(coronavirus,immune,moderna)
(enhancement,experts,vaccine)
(experts,mrna,vaccine)
(enhancement,experts,moderna,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine)
(coronavirus,immune,moderna,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus)
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines)
(experts,immune,vaccine)
(immune,mrna,vaccine)
(enhancement,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,moderna)
(mrna,tropical_medicine,vaccine)
(immune,moderna,mrna)
(moderna,safety,vaccines)
(experts,infection,vaccine)
(immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(infection,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,infection,vaccine)
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines)
(moderna,mrna,vaccines)
(enhancement,immune,vaccine)
(coronavirus,immune,vaccine)
(infection,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(coronavirus,moderna,political)
(coronavirus,vaccinate,vaccine)
(infection,moderna,mrna)
(infection,mrna,vaccine)
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house)
(infection,moderna,vaccines)
(immune,political,vaccine)
(experts,immune,moderna,vaccine)
(enhancement,moderna,mrna)
(coronavirus,vaccine,vaccines)
(experts,moderna,vaccines)
(immune,vaccine,vaccines)
(experts,vaccine,white_house)
(experts,infection,moderna,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house)
(vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,moderna,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine)
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate)
(enhancement,vaccine,vaccines)
(experts,vaccine,zaks)
(funding,immune,vaccine)
(enhancement,moderna,vaccines)
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine)
(vaccine,white_house)
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna)
(moderna,vaccinate,vaccines)
(immune,moderna,vaccines)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(moderna,mrna,nih)
(enhancement,mrna,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks)
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate)
(immune,vaccinate,vaccine)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna,vaccine)
(mrna,vaccinate,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine)
(experts,vaccinate,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine)
(moderna,mrna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (72)
(experts,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(enhancement,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,immune,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(enhancement,experts,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(infection,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,moderna) [inferred]
(enhancement,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune,vaccine) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccinate,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(experts,immune,vaccine) [inferred]
(funding,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,nih) [inferred]
(experts,infection,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccinate,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,virus) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune,moderna) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding,moderna) [inferred]
(experts,infection,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding,vaccine) [inferred]
(enhancement,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(enhancement,experts,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

or the dose was too low," Dr. Evan Anderson, the lead investigator of the Moderna vaccine study at Emory University where part of the human trial is taking place, told CNN's Gupta in a recent interview.
Anderson added that there is a "theoretical possibility" that the vaccine could trigger an "enhanced immune response" that actually worsens the illness.
This is what happens when coronavirus research funding gets political
Jason Schrum, a founding scientist at Moderna, also pointed out that the vaccine formulation listed on Moderna's clinical trial page for Covid-19 doesn't seem to include a key element to conjure a strong efficacy in any vaccine: the adjuvants.
Adjuvants stimulate the body's immune system to react to the vaccine antigen -- the molecules that trigger an immune response in the body
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,immune,moderna,vaccine)
(immune,schrum,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine)
(adjuvants,immune,vaccine)
(coronavirus,covid-19,moderna)
(formulation,immune,vaccine)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (28)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna) [inferred]
(immune,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(immune,moderna) [inferred]
(funding,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(coronavirus,covid-19) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,immune,moderna) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

So when Chinese researchers released the genomic sequence for the new coronavirus -- SARS-CoV-2, which causes the deadly disease known as Covid-19 -- in mid-January, they had a jump start.
On March 3 -- the day after the roundtable -- the FDA green-lit Moderna's product for trial, making it the first vaccine candidate to advance to the first phase of a clinical study, in which an as-yet unapproved vaccine is injected into the arms of a small group of 45 human volunteers.
Established in 2010, Moderna has never brought a product to market, or gotten any of its nine or so vaccine candidates approved for use by the FDA. It has also never brought a product to the third and final phase of a clinical trial.
And yet at the moment, it represents one of the country's -- and possibly world's -- best hopes for a return to the normalcy that slipped away when the microscopic enemy brought civilization to a standstill.
The federally funded trial for Moderna's vaccine candidate began in Washington state on March 16 -- two weeks after the roundtable
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,fda,moderna)
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine)
(moderna,product)
(coronavirus,covid-19,moderna)
(coronavirus,product,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine)
(fda,product,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2)
(coronavirus,fda,moderna,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,product)
(fda,moderna,nine)
(fda,sars-cov-2,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,product)
(coronavirus,fda,vaccine)
(fda,nine,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (42)
(coronavirus,fda,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda,moderna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,safety) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(coronavirus,covid-19) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,vaccine,washington) [inferred]
(fda,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,washington) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

Indeed, it took just 42 days, as Bancel told Trump.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health are bullish.
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon 01:35
"A lot of our work that we've done previously has essentially driven us into what we call a rapid response," said Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the lead scientist for coronavirus research at the National Institutes of Health, in a recent interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. "The really interesting part about this is that we have a collaboration with Moderna," she added.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- a branch of the NIH -- said Moderna's vaccine platform is well-suited for responding to emerging outbreaks such as novel coronaviruses.
It "can be produced more quickly than with many other vaccine platforms," the NIAID said in an emailed statement
High Level Abstractions:

(trump,vaccine)
(bancel,coronavirus)
(bancel,coronavirus,moderna)
(coronavirus,nih,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,nih)
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine)
(bancel,nih,vaccine)
(coronavirus,health,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes)
(coronavirus,national_institutes,vaccine)
(bancel,trump,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna)
(nih,vaccine)
(moderna,nih,vaccine)
(bancel,national_institutes,vaccine)
(bancel,health,vaccine)
(bancel,coronavirus,vaccine)
(bancel,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (45)
(coronavirus,nih) [inferred]
(coronavirus,health,redfield) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(bancel,coronavirus,vaccine) [inferred]
(health,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,coronavirus) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,coronavirus,moderna) [inferred]
(bancel,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,virus) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(bancel,health,moderna) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,science) [inferred]
(moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,health) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccines) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(bancel,health) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

With a hope-starved world cheering it on, Moderna officially burst out of the gate, marking the beginning of the race for a vaccine for the new coronavirus.
Major funding injected into vaccine race
The effort received another boost on April 16, when the federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded Moderna up to $483 million to accelerate the development and manufacturing of the vaccine
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,funding,vaccine)
(funding,moderna,vaccine)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna)
(coronavirus,race,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,race)
(moderna,race,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (21)
(coronavirus,funding,moderna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(funding,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,funding) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

"In that one [Moderna], I just don't see that."
Moderna confirmed that it is not using an adjuvant.
"We have not used adjuvants in our vaccine clinical trials," the spokesperson wrote in an email, adding that the trials have shown that Moderna's vaccines induce an immune response similar to that seen with natural infection.
Expert report predicts up to two more years of pandemic misery
The former BARDA official told CNN that Moderna generates a lot of "hype" for an organization that has never entered the third and final phase of a clinical trial for a drug or vaccine.
"I don't think it's misplaced to -- I want to say question -- but have some healthy skepticism about the current efficacy of their technology," the expert said.
Ian Haydon of Seattle is one of the trial participants who volunteered to take a shot in the arm in April
High Level Abstractions:

(infection,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,moderna)
(infection,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,vaccine,vaccines)
(immune,infection,vaccine)
(infection,moderna,vaccines)
(adjuvants,immune,vaccine)
(immune,moderna,vaccines)
(immune,moderna,vaccine)
(immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
Inferred entity relationships (12)
(immune,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(infection,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(immune,moderna) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(immune,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(infection,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

So when Chinese researchers released the genomic sequence for the new coronavirus -- SARS-CoV-2, which causes the deadly disease known as Covid-19 -- in mid-January, they had a jump start.
On March 3 -- the day after the roundtable -- the FDA green-lit Moderna's product for trial, making it the first vaccine candidate to advance to the first phase of a clinical study, in which an as-yet unapproved vaccine is injected into the arms of a small group of 45 human volunteers.
Established in 2010, Moderna has never brought a product to market, or gotten any of its nine or so vaccine candidates approved for use by the FDA. It has also never brought a product to the third and final phase of a clinical trial.
And yet at the moment, it represents one of the country's -- and possibly world's -- best hopes for a return to the normalcy that slipped away when the microscopic enemy brought civilization to a standstill.
The federally funded trial for Moderna's vaccine candidate began in Washington state on March 16 -- two weeks after the roundtable.
High Level Abstractions:

(fda,vaccine,washington)
(fda,moderna,washington)
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington)
Inferred entity relationships (19)
(fda,moderna,unproven) [inferred]
(fda,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,washington) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,safety) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

We had fantastic data back then."
Critics call for more skepticism
In any case, the company has published dozens of papers in recent years, and several experts and former Moderna employees contacted by CNN for this story rejected any comparison to Theranos, saying the science is sound.
One former employee, who worked at the company for three years ending in 2019 -- most recently as a director -- called the comparison "absurd."
Director of key vaccine agency says his dismissal was retaliation
Director of key vaccine agency says his dismissal was retaliation 02:59
"I think Moderna has a strong compliance culture," said the former director, who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying the biotech industry is a small world and he didn't feel comfortable making a public statement
High Level Abstractions:

(science,theranos,vaccine)
(dismissal,moderna,science)
(employee,science,vaccine)
(employees,moderna,science)
(agency,science,vaccine)
(agency,moderna,vaccine)
(dismissal,experts,vaccine)
(agency,moderna,science)
(experts,science,vaccine)
(dismissal,science,vaccine)
(agency,experts,moderna,vaccine)
(dismissal,experts,moderna,vaccine)
(moderna,science,vaccine)
(agency,science)
(compliance,science,vaccine)
(dismissal,science)
(agency,vaccine)
(agency,experts,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (27)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(dismissal,experts,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(dismissal,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(dismissal,science) [inferred]
(agency,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(agency,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(agency,experts,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(agency,science) [inferred]
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(dismissal,experts,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(agency,moderna,science) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(agency,experts,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

But much of Moderna's appeal is not what it has done, but what it says is possible: to develop a vaccine -- which normally takes years -- in record speed.
As it happens, although Moderna is not a household name, it's a company with a storied history.
CNN Investigates interviewed more than 20 experts and former employees for this story and found that while some of the scientists expressed optimism that Moderna can pull it off, others voiced criticism about the hype the company has generated over the years, as well as what has been described as a caustic work culture.
Others raised concerns about the science, or challenged the wisdom of the federal government-sanctioned shortcuts in the ongoing clinical trial, in particular the FDA's approval to gloss over the animal trials that normally precede injecting an untested vaccine into healthy humans.
Dr. Joseph Bolen, who served as Moderna's chief scientific officer and president of research and development from 2013 to 2015, believes it was reasonable to give Moderna a shot, but was puzzled by BARDA's massive allocation -- up to $483 million -- calling it a "big bet."
"I don't know what their thinking was," he said
High Level Abstractions:

(household,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(employees,science)
(employees,moderna,science)
(experts,science,vaccine)
(federal,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(experts,moderna,vaccines)
(moderna,science,vaccine)
(experts,vaccine,vaccines)
(employees,science,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (20)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(household,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(employees,science) [inferred]
(employees,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(federal,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

You'll have a vaccine to go into testing."
Oxford University is partnering with a vaccine manufacturer, trial results expected in June
Oxford University is partnering with a vaccine manufacturer, trial results expected in June
To some observers, it was a classic Bancel performance -- a rare public glimpse into his uncanny ability to say the right thing to the right people in the right moment.
His supporters say, however, he was doing what he's always done: letting Moderna's accomplishments speak for themselves.
Either way, it turns out Moderna had an edge
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (8)
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,science) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

It is his personality -- that he's pushing hard and he expected everybody's pushing the same way."
The former director who left in 2019 said Bancel has brought in a leadership team with experience in biopharmaceutical development that has "tempered the intensity."
But in 2014, the work environment became too much even for Rossi, a co-founder of Moderna, who says his team developed the company's core technology at Harvard Medical School.
Rossi said he butted heads with Bancel, and that the company and its investors had a way of taking credit for the ideas of its scientists, including his own -- an allegation that Moderna's leadership denies.
But Rossi, who later went on to become an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and is now the CEO of another biotech company called Convelo Therapeutics, said he believes in the technology.
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,ceo,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (3)
(bancel,ceo) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna,science) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

It is his personality -- that he's pushing hard and he expected everybody's pushing the same way."
The former director who left in 2019 said Bancel has brought in a leadership team with experience in biopharmaceutical development that has "tempered the intensity."
But in 2014, the work environment became too much even for Rossi, a co-founder of Moderna, who says his team developed the company's core technology at Harvard Medical School.
Rossi said he butted heads with Bancel, and that the company and its investors had a way of taking credit for the ideas of its scientists, including his own -- an allegation that Moderna's leadership denies.
But Rossi, who later went on to become an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and is now the CEO of another biotech company called Convelo Therapeutics, said he believes in the technology
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,scientists,technology)
(moderna,pushing,technology)
(bancel,investors,moderna)
(harvard_medical_school,moderna,technology)
(bancel,moderna,technology)
(moderna,rossi,technology)
(bancel,technology)
(bancel,moderna,rossi)
Inferred entity relationships (13)
(bancel,investors) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,science) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,valuation) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,unproven) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,wework) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,rossi,technology) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

True to swashbuckling startup form, the nation's wealthiest biotech firm has incurred significant losses since its 2010 inception; at the close of 2019, its accumulated deficit was $1.5 billion, according to a year-end filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Then came the new coronavirus and Covid-19, which has killed nearly 63,000 Americans since February and 233,000 people worldwide.
For the world, it was a disaster
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,covid-19,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(coronavirus,covid-19) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

More recently, it was praised in an op-ed by Bill Gates -- whose namesake foundation has given millions to Moderna -- though his piece didn't mention the company by name.
But Moderna's unbridled ambition, reputation for secrecy and preoccupation with venture capital have earned it detractors.
In 2016, an op-ed published in the science journal Nature scolded Moderna for not having published a single peer-reviewed paper outlining the science of its dazzling product, even as it participated in a "schmoozefest" at a JP Morgan healthcare conference in San Francisco that announced $350 million in investments.
The piece noted that Moderna's then lack of scientific publishing was similar to that of Theranos, now disgraced for raising some $700 million in venture capital for a blood-testing technology that turned out to be a sham, turning the now-dissolved company and its embattled CEO into a symbol of tech hubris run amok.
Hear what it's like to be part of a vaccine trial
Hear what it's like to be part of a vaccine trial 04:04
"Deals don't validate science," the op-ed said
High Level Abstractions:

(science,theranos,vaccine)
(ceo,moderna)
(moderna,science,vaccine)
(moderna,science,venture)
(ceo,science)
(ceo,moderna,science)
(moderna,product)
Inferred entity relationships (8)
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna,science) [inferred]
(moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

Rossi, once an associate professor at Harvard, was hailed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2011 for a novel stem-cell treatment; Langer of MIT is ranked by Google as the eighth most-cited researcher in the world, just a few notches below Sigmund Freud.
Moderna's unproven but potentially paradigm-shattering technology has garnered enthusiastic press: Moderna was ranked No. 1 on the CNBC Disrupter 50 list in 2015 for its goal to help "the human body make the medicine it needs to cure a disease," putting it in company with eventually the likes of Airbnb, Lyft and WeWork
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,stem-cell,technology)
(moderna,technology,unproven)
(mit,science)
(moderna,sigmund_freud,technology)
Inferred entity relationships (2)
(moderna,technology,valuation) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,wework) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

Rossi, once an associate professor at Harvard, was hailed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2011 for a novel stem-cell treatment; Langer of MIT is ranked by Google as the eighth most-cited researcher in the world, just a few notches below Sigmund Freud.
Moderna's unproven but potentially paradigm-shattering technology has garnered enthusiastic press: Moderna was ranked No. 1 on the CNBC Disrupter 50 list in 2015 for its goal to help "the human body make the medicine it needs to cure a disease," putting it in company with eventually the likes of Airbnb, Lyft and WeWork.
High Level Abstractions:

(science,wework)
(moderna,technology,wework)
Inferred entity relationships (2)
(moderna,technology,valuation) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,unproven) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

Its scientists had already been collaborating with researchers from the National Institutes of Health on a vaccine for another coronavirus, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). So when Chinese researchers released the genomic sequence for the new coronavirus -- SARS-CoV-2, which causes the deadly disease known as Covid-19 -- in mid-January, they had a jump start.
On March 3 -- the day after the roundtable -- the FDA green-lit Moderna's product for trial, making it the first vaccine candidate to advance to the first phase of a clinical study, in which an as-yet unapproved vaccine is injected into the arms of a small group of 45 human volunteers.
Established in 2010, Moderna has never brought a product to market, or gotten any of its nine or so vaccine candidates approved for use by the FDA. It has also never brought a product to the third and final phase of a clinical trial.
And yet at the moment, it represents one of the country's -- and possibly world's -- best hopes for a return to the normalcy that slipped away when the microscopic enemy brought civilization to a standstill.
The federally funded trial for Moderna's vaccine candidate began in Washington state on March 16 -- two weeks after the roundtable
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,health,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (3)
(coronavirus,health,redfield) [inferred]
(coronavirus,health) [inferred]
(health,vaccine) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

"I would demand: Where is the toxicity data from the lab."
Professor Nikolai Petrovsky at Flinders University in Australia, who is collaborating with Oracle to use computer models and AI technology to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, has concerns about the mRNA trials, insisting the US government has taken an unproven vaccine and "put (it) straight into humans."
"It's a double game," he said
High Level Abstractions:

(mrna,unproven,vaccine)
(mrna,technology,vaccine)

challenge (Read more)

He leaned over the table and interrupted Schleifer mid-pitch.
"So that process would be faster than John's." he said, pointing at Shiver.
"It would be," Schleifer said, adding that the process could take "weeks to months."
The only way to top that was to start talking about days, and it's exactly what the next CEO did.
President Donald Trump leads a meeting with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 2.
President Donald Trump leads a meeting with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 2.
Stephane Bancel of Moderna Inc glanced across the table at the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and said he is "very proud to be working with the US government and to have already sent, in only 42 days from the sequence of the virus, our vaccine to Dr. Fauci's team at the NIH."
The French-born Bancel went on to say that he needed just "a few months" to start phase two of a three-part clinical trial of the sort that typifies vaccine development
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,nih)
(bancel,nih,vaccine)
(bancel,virus)
(bancel,white_house_coronavirus_task_force)
(bancel,vaccine,white_house_coronavirus_task_force)
(vaccine,white_house)
(bancel,cabinet_room,vaccine)
(bancel,donald_trump,vaccine)
(bancel,schleifer,vaccine)
(bancel,white_house)
(nih,vaccine)
(bancel,ceo)
(bancel,vaccine,white_house)
Inferred entity relationships (9)
(bancel,vaccine,well-suited) [inferred]
(bancel,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,ceo,moderna) [inferred]
(bancel,vaccine,white_house_coronavirus_task_force) [inferred]
(bancel,nih) [inferred]
(nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,vaccine,virus) [inferred]

challenge (Read more)

"When it failed (at Moderna), he just shifted the blame to the technicians and fired them."
Bancel disputes the characterization.
"Science is complicated and many things fail," Bancel, who declined CNN an interview, responded in a written statement. "I don't recall one employee being fired since we started the company, because of science failing.
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,science)

WIP (Read more)

"If the FDA's evaluation of these data support initiating human studies of a candidate coronavirus vaccine without first completing additional toxicology studies, then the FDA would consider allowing such human studies to proceed."
Petrovsky also noted that while NIH and Moderna worked on a MERS vaccine, they hadn't collaborated on a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) vaccine
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,fda,moderna,vaccine)
(coronavirus,moderna,nih,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (36)
(coronavirus,moderna,race) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda,moderna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven) [inferred]
(moderna,nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,national_institutes,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,washington) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday) [inferred]
(coronavirus,fda,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,safety) [inferred]
(nih,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,political,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(coronavirus,moderna,race,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"An unproven platform for a new disease with no animal testing."
Can Trump make good on his vaccine promise.
But while these experts felt dosing humans before animal trials could happen was questionable in practice, Zaks of Moderna said it would be "unethical to wait," given the urgency of the pandemic.
The FDA, in a statement to CNN, said it was "unable to comment on specific unapproved products." However, it said that when the agency evaluates the need for a vaccine study, it considers the relevant data
High Level Abstractions:

(experts,vaccine,zaks)
(fda,unproven,vaccine)
(trump,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,zaks)
(fda,moderna,unproven)
(fda,moderna,trump)
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks)
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine)
(fda,trump,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks)
(fda,vaccine,zaks)
Inferred entity relationships (29)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,washington) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,safety) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington) [inferred]
(fda,vaccine,washington) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"Of note, Moderna was the first into the clinic with a vaccine."
Meantime, Moderna is indeed moving at a fast clip: On Monday, it submitted a proposal to the FDA to enter Phase 2, subject to final safety findings from Phase 1.
(The second phase of a typical clinical study ramps up the number of people -- often into the hundreds, including more members of at-risk groups
High Level Abstractions:

(fda,moderna,on_monday)
(fda,on_monday,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,safety)
(fda,safety,vaccine)
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (18)
(fda,moderna,unproven) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,zaks) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,sars-cov-2) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,washington) [inferred]
(moderna,safety,vaccines) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,on_monday) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,nine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,safety) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,trump,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,unproven,vaccine) [inferred]
(fda,moderna,vaccine,washington) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

Because people said, 'Oh, vaccines, nobody's going to pay for that -- it's no big deal.'"
But Bancel -- who pulled in a salary of more than $920,000, plus a bonus of $1 million in 2019 -- has ably applied his persuasive powers to vaccines.
In a "Mad Money" interview on CNBC in January, Bancel wowed host Jim Cramer with his description of a potential therapeutic "personalized cancer vaccine" by Moderna using mRNA technology.
"In our lifetime." Cramer asked.
"It's happening actually right now," Bancel answered
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,moderna,technology)
(mrna,technology,vaccine)
(bancel,moderna,mrna)
(moderna,mrna,vaccines)
(moderna,mrna,vaccine)
(bancel,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (22)
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,science) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,valuation) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,unproven) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,wework) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,virus) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccines) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"Once the genetic information of a given emerging virus becomes available, scientists can quickly select a sequence to express an immunogen in the existing mRNA platform."
The science has its skeptics
But some experts are skeptical of the science.
For starters, in the rush to get started, the FDA allowed Moderna's RNA vaccine -- called mRNA-1273 -- to essentially gloss over the animal-testing that typically precede clinical trials in humans
High Level Abstractions:

(mrna,vaccine,virus)
(experts,vaccine,virus)
(experts,mrna,vaccine)
(experts,science,vaccine)
(moderna,mrna,virus)
(moderna,science,virus)
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus)
(moderna,science,vaccine)
(moderna,virus)
(science,virus)
(moderna,mrna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (27)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(science,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,virus) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

The hope has been to find "transformative" treatments for heart disease, metabolic and genetic diseases, kidney failure, even cancer.
To be sure, a handful of other vaccine candidates have since entered the human trial phase, and more than 80 companies and academic labs are working on vaccines to add to the mix.
But Moderna -- which has at least 15 products in clinical trials -- was the first company with an mRNA vaccine that advanced to human trials, though another German mRNA company has since entered the race and another isn't far behind
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,mrna,vaccine)
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines)
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines)
(moderna,mrna,vaccines)
Inferred entity relationships (11)
(mrna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(mrna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,virus) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,nih) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"An unproven platform for a new disease with no animal testing."
Can Trump make good on his vaccine promise.
But while these experts felt dosing humans before animal trials could happen was questionable in practice, Zaks of Moderna said it would be "unethical to wait," given the urgency of the pandemic.
The FDA, in a statement to CNN, said it was "unable to comment on specific unapproved products." However, it said that when the agency evaluates the need for a vaccine study, it considers the relevant data.
High Level Abstractions:

(agency,experts,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (9)
(experts,moderna,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,zaks) [inferred]
(agency,experts,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccinate,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(experts,moderna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

That amounts to about half of what the federal agency has doled out, with Janssen Research & Development -- part of Johnson & Johnson -- receiving $456 million, and a third company, Sanofi, receiving up to $30 million.
Johnson & Johnson is a household name with a long list of approved medicines; Sanofi has been making vaccines for more than 100 years
High Level Abstractions:

(federal,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(johnson,vaccine,vaccines)
(household,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(agency,moderna,vaccine)
(johnson,moderna,vaccine)
(household,vaccine,vaccines)
(federal,vaccine,vaccines)
(johnson,moderna,vaccine,vaccines)
(agency,vaccine)
(johnson,moderna,vaccines)
(household,moderna,vaccines)
(federal,moderna,vaccines)
Inferred entity relationships (10)
(johnson,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(household,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(agency,moderna,science) [inferred]
(johnson,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(federal,moderna,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(household,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(johnson,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]
(federal,moderna,vaccines) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

The hope has been to find "transformative" treatments for heart disease, metabolic and genetic diseases, kidney failure, even cancer.
To be sure, a handful of other vaccine candidates have since entered the human trial phase, and more than 80 companies and academic labs are working on vaccines to add to the mix.
But Moderna -- which has at least 15 products in clinical trials -- was the first company with an mRNA vaccine that advanced to human trials, though another German mRNA company has since entered the race and another isn't far behind.
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,race,vaccine)

WIP (Read more)

Moderna also has been allocated the most funding by BARDA, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
BARDA said it plans to fund a variety of approaches.
"More than one vaccine is likely to be the solution," a BARDA spokesperson said in an email
High Level Abstractions:

(funding,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

Over the span of a decade, the size of its workforce has expanded from four employees to more than 700.
The culture of the company seems to have stabilized: In the past five years, it has ranked as a top biopharmaceutical employer in Science magazine's Top Employers Survey.
But there were growing pains, some of which centered on Bancel, the only CEO the company has ever had.
Afeyan, a venture capitalist with a PhD in biochemical engineering from MIT, had tried to recruit Bancel to lead other projects, but Bancel -- formerly the CEO of a French diagnostics company -- had turned him down.
"I told him I was willing to take a career risk by working on something that might not work," Bancel told Boston magazine in 2013
High Level Abstractions:

(science,workforce)
(ceo,moderna)
(employees,moderna,science)
(moderna,science,venture)
(ceo,science)
(mit,science)
(moderna,science,workforce)
(bancel,ceo,moderna)
(bancel,science)
(bancel,moderna,science)
(bancel,ceo)
(ceo,moderna,science)
Inferred entity relationships (17)
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(bancel,ceo) [inferred]
(bancel,ceo,moderna) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna,science) [inferred]
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(science,workforce) [inferred]
(ceo,moderna) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"But it would have to be something that, if it worked, would change the world."
When Afeyan asked him to join Moderna, the idea was too big for Bancel to resist. The holder of a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Harvard Business School joined in 2011.
Bancel's leadership style has come under fire from employees who have described a pressure-cooker atmosphere in which around-the-clock hours were the norm and failed experiments -- a fact of life in the world of science -- could be met with reprimand or even dismissal, according to a 2016 investigation by Stat, a health publication.
The former executive, who left in 2016, recalled that Bancel seemed to have two versions of himself: the calm public persona who makes speeches and appears on TED Talks, and the private version in corporate meetings.
"What you hear in corporate meetings is stuff like this, 'What the f**k are you taking about
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,moderna,science)
(moderna,science,university)
Inferred entity relationships (12)
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

You just said six-to-nine months; I need it done in five.'"
Dr. Suhaib Siddiqi, a chemist who served for a short time as Moderna's former director of chemistry in 2011, said Bancel was "unfriendly" and "arrogant," and punished technicians for failed experiments.
"Ninety percent of the things in science fail -- that's the way the inventions are made," Siddiqi said.
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,moderna,science)
Inferred entity relationships (12)
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,vaccine) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

In Phase 3, the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Over the years, Moderna has sold investors on the revolutionary potential of its medicine
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,moderna,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (8)
(bancel,moderna,national_institutes) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,science) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,technology) [inferred]
(moderna,vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,nih) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,rossi) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,pushing) [inferred]
(bancel,moderna,mrna) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

In Phase 3, the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Over the years, Moderna has sold investors on the revolutionary potential of its medicine. Bancel has been the chief narrator of the company's intoxicating story.
"We feel this is most probably the only time in our lives that we will have a chance to really change the world," he said in a 2013 TED Talk about how mRNA could be used as a way to regrow heart tissue in people who have suffered heart attacks.
Ambition, secrecy and money has earned Moderna critics
Two of its four founders -- Derrick Rossi and Robert Langer -- are especially heavy hitters in the science community
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,investors)
(bancel,investors,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (2)
(bancel,investors) [inferred]
(bancel,investors,moderna) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

"The CEO's job is to make money for investors."
Afeyan, the Moderna board chairman, fiercely defends Bancel. He told CNN the characterizations of Bancel as a gifted fundraiser are misplaced and even "derogatory," saying it's a way for detractors to smear him with faint praise.
"He's a skilled team builder, he's a skilled product developer, he's a skilled strategist, he's a skilled partnership forger
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,investors,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(bancel,investors) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

The holder of a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Harvard Business School joined in 2011.
Bancel's leadership style has come under fire from employees who have described a pressure-cooker atmosphere in which around-the-clock hours were the norm and failed experiments -- a fact of life in the world of science -- could be met with reprimand or even dismissal, according to a 2016 investigation by Stat, a health publication.
The former executive, who left in 2016, recalled that Bancel seemed to have two versions of himself: the calm public persona who makes speeches and appears on TED Talks, and the private version in corporate meetings.
"What you hear in corporate meetings is stuff like this, 'What the f**k are you taking about
High Level Abstractions:

(corporate,moderna,science)
(dismissal,moderna,science)
(bancel,health)
(employees,moderna,science)
(dismissal,science)
(corporate,science)
(bancel,health,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (10)
(moderna,science,virus) [inferred]
(dismissal,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,health,vaccine) [inferred]
(health,moderna,mrna) [inferred]
(moderna,science,university) [inferred]
(bancel,health,moderna) [inferred]
(moderna,science,venture) [inferred]
(moderna,science,vaccine) [inferred]
(bancel,health) [inferred]
(moderna,science,workforce) [inferred]

WIP (Read more)

If all goes well, the body then counterattacks the "invader" -- the synthetic antigen created by a person's own cell -- with antibodies.
The technology "teaches the human body to recognize the virus by teaching the body to make snippets of the virus on its own," said Zaks, Moderna's chief medical officer.
On January 11, Chinese researchers released the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, a 30,000-character string of the letters a, u, g and c.
Largely because of the ongoing cooperation between Moderna and NIH, the process of designing the mRNA for delivery was lightning fast. Indeed, it took just 42 days, as Bancel told Trump.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health are bullish.
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon
Lead scientist says coronavirus vaccine could be ready soon 01:35
"A lot of our work that we've done previously has essentially driven us into what we call a rapid response," said Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the lead scientist for coronavirus research at the National Institutes of Health, in a recent interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. "The really interesting part about this is that we have a collaboration with Moderna," she added.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- a branch of the NIH -- said Moderna's vaccine platform is well-suited for responding to emerging outbreaks such as novel coronaviruses.
It "can be produced more quickly than with many other vaccine platforms," the NIAID said in an emailed statement
High Level Abstractions:

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(moderna,mrna,national_institutes)
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Inferred entity relationships (20)
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(bancel,health) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccinate) [inferred]
(moderna,mrna,vaccine) [inferred]

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Raising some $600 million, its initial public offering was the largest in the history of biotech -- despite the fact that its technology remained unproven.
Moderna's valuation ballooned to $7.5 billion -- up from an already impressive $5 billion from a year and a half prior.
Still, there were signs of an impending nosedive: Moderna -- which currently generates revenue primarily through investments by collaboration partners -- ended 2019 with a $514 million net loss
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,technology,unproven)
(moderna,technology,valuation)
(moderna,revenue,technology)
Inferred entity relationships (4)
(moderna,technology,valuation) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,wework) [inferred]
(moderna,technology,unproven) [inferred]
(revenue,technology) [inferred]

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He told CNN the characterizations of Bancel as a gifted fundraiser are misplaced and even "derogatory," saying it's a way for detractors to smear him with faint praise.
"He's a skilled team builder, he's a skilled product developer, he's a skilled strategist, he's a skilled partnership forger.
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,product)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(moderna,product,vaccine) [inferred]

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if the US just backs one or two horses and they fall to the back of the pack, we're not going to have an effective vaccine in the US anytime soon."
But Zaks says Moderna has delivered on its promises to US officials about its coronavirus vaccine, saying, "When our CEO said that we would get this fast into the clinic, we did."
That, he said, combined with the company's potential, is why "the US government stepped in and picked our platform as one of the major investments that Tony Fauci and the team are making in
High Level Abstractions:

(ceo,moderna)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(ceo,moderna,science) [inferred]

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Messenger RNA activates the body's instinct to get rid of the foreign invader, which works better for single dose vaccines but creates safety issues for longer-term use in chronic diseases.
Jeff Ellsworth, who served as Moderna's former senior director of preclinical pharmacology and the head of rare genetic diseases until he left in 2013, remembers standing around a white board in his office with two company executives, discussing the data used in animal studies for drugs meant to treat rare genetic diseases.
"We all kind of looked at each other and said, 'Oh
High Level Abstractions:

(moderna,safety,vaccines)

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"I hope and pray that they will work."
Moderna didn't invent the mRNA approach, but is the company that has "cornered the market" on the idea, said the former executive who left in 2016.
"Henry Ford wasn't the first carmaker, but he managed to scale in a more effective way," he said.
The science of messenger RNA is complex, but the oft-touted bottom-line potential benefits are easy to understand: safety and speed.
Conventional vaccines involve injecting a tiny piece of a weakened or dead virus into the body to stimulate an immune response in the cells.
In theory, an mRNA vaccine enables scientists to plug a small piece of the coronavirus's genetic code into a human cell to create a synthetic copy of the virus's spike protein
High Level Abstractions:

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(mrna,vaccine,virus)
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Inferred entity relationships (9)
(mrna,vaccine,virus) [inferred]
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United States makes big bet on vaccine company with unproven technology
(CNN)It almost felt like an episode of "Shark Tank."
One by one, vaccine developers at a White House roundtable convened by President Donald Trump in early March pitched their product as a viable solution to the coronavirus that was spreading globally and killing Americans.
John Shiver, the head of R&D for Sanofi Pasteur vaccines, said he could have a product ready for the clinic in a year -- perhaps a vaccine for the public in as "few as several years."
Trump seemed uninterested.
"Right
High Level Abstractions:

(vaccine,white_house)
(coronavirus,product,vaccine)
(coronavirus,vaccine,vaccines)
Inferred entity relationships (3)
(vaccine,vaccines,white_house) [inferred]
(product,vaccine) [inferred]
(coronavirus,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]

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Its valuation climbed to $10 billion.
The new coronavirus, according to Forbes, turned the 47-year-old Bancel into a billionaire.
Vaccine pipeline is a funnel: 'very few things survive'
To try to bring a vaccine to market is to try to beat the odds.
Dr. Myron Levine, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, cautioned that most vaccines fail.
"I've been in this business a very long time -- a half a century," he said
High Level Abstractions:

(coronavirus,vaccine,vaccines)
(bancel,coronavirus)
(bancel,coronavirus,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (6)
(bancel,coronavirus,moderna) [inferred]
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(bancel,coronavirus) [inferred]
(coronavirus,vaccine,white_house) [inferred]

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In other words, they boost the body's immune response.
"Typically, what you see in any vaccine if they use adjuvants, they clearly identify that and say this is the purpose of using in the vaccine formulation as an adjuvant," said Schrum, who is no longer with the company.
High Level Abstractions:

(immune,schrum,vaccine)
(formulation,immune,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(immune,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]

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In other words, they boost the body's immune response.
"Typically, what you see in any vaccine if they use adjuvants, they clearly identify that and say this is the purpose of using in the vaccine formulation as an adjuvant," said Schrum, who is no longer with the company
High Level Abstractions:

(adjuvants,immune,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(immune,vaccine,vaccines) [inferred]

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"With phase two," Bancel clarified, just before Fauci interjected, for Trump's benefit: "You won't have a vaccine.
High Level Abstractions:

(bancel,trump,vaccine)
Inferred entity relationships (1)
(trump,vaccine) [inferred]

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Thank you very much," he said at the March 2 roundtable, which was captured on C-SPAN.
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Next was Lenny Schleifer, the founder and CEO of Regeneron -- which aims to conduct clinical trials this summer -- who talked of pumping 200,000 doses per month of its therapeutic vaccine from his factory, starting in August, "if all goes well."
This got Trump's attention.
High Level Abstractions:

(trump,vaccine)

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"With phase two," Bancel clarified, just before Fauci interjected, for Trump's benefit: "You won't have a vaccine. You'll have a vaccine to go into testing."
Oxford University is partnering with a vaccine manufacturer, trial results expected in June
Oxford University is partnering with a vaccine manufacturer, trial results expected in June
To some observers, it was a classic Bancel performance -- a rare public glimpse into his uncanny ability to say the right thing to the right people in the right moment.
His supporters say, however, he was doing what he's always done: letting Moderna's accomplishments speak for themselves.
Either way, it turns out Moderna had an edge
High Level Abstractions:

(trump,vaccine)

Target rule match count: 230.0 Challenge: 0.30 Momentum: 0.00 WIP: 0.20