a16z Podcast The Machine That Made the Vaccine: Company, Platform, Innovation
Dec 21, 2020
Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, shares his insights on the groundbreaking mRNA technology that revolutionized vaccine development. He discusses the swift transition from pathogen identification to vaccine creation, emphasizing how this technology educates the immune system without viral exposure. Bancel also addresses the innovative strategies used to streamline production processes and the delicate balance between risk and innovation in biotech development. His reflections on career growth in the field offer valuable advice to aspiring engineers.
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Rapid Vaccine Design
- In January 2020, Stéphane Bancel noticed a news article about a new pathogen in China.
- He contacted Bernie Graham at NIH, and within days, they designed a vaccine based on the virus's digital sequence from China.
mRNA Explained
- mRNA is a molecule in every cell, a "Xerox copy" of DNA instructions for making proteins.
- It carries genetic information, like a recipe, to ribosomes, the cell's 3D printers.
Early mRNA Challenges
- Early attempts to use mRNA for medicine failed because it triggered immune responses like flu symptoms.
- Later, scientists found that modifying uridine makes mRNA "immunosilent."