Friday, May 4, 2018

Kenilworth Once Again Boosts Its Net Investment, In Unicorn Moderna -- Looking At A Cancer "Vaccine" R&D Program


Over the last three and a half years, we have kept tabs on the Moderna-Merck escalating series of investments -- from $100 million to $300 million, in 2016 -- and a late 2017 update, here.

Over the last 24 hours, Merck has bumped its investment by over 25 per cent -- or $125 million -- to $425 million in total. Still immaterial for the mothership, but the idea of personalized cancer vaccines seems less and less sci fi -- and more. . . life science, here nearing mid 2018.

So it is appropriate that we write about it on Yoda's day. Here's a link to the overnight article, from CNBC's Meg Terrill, and a bit:

. . . .Moderna Therapeutics is banking an additional $125 million in an expanded partnership with Merck around a personalized cancer vaccine.

The product, called mRNA-5671, targets mutations in a gene called KRAS that Moderna says occur in about 90 percent of pancreatic cancers and 30 percent of non-small-cell lung cancers. It's the fourth program on which the two companies are collaborating.

The $125 million from Merck comes in the form of series H preferred equity; Moderna completed a series G fundraising round earlier this year. It's now raised more than $1.6 billion in equity and $1 billion through partnership payments, CEO Stephane Bancel said in a telephone interview Thursday. . . .


Yep -- with a valuation north of $7 billion -- that sound you hear is. . . a formerly strictly sci-fi unicorn, now becoming a privately-held life science R&D juggernaut. "Away put your weapons, as absolute power I have. . . ."

Grinning ear to ear, here in dawn's luminous and rose-colored half light. . . . have a great day -- but beware that Sunday. . . cometh; and with it -- the revenge.





Yes, now you know -- I try to play it off. . . .

नमस्ते

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