Moderna

Designing drugs on a computer.

Moderna is a biotech company developing medicine based on messenger RNA (mRNA).

Why do we own it?

mRNA has transformational potential by pioneering a new class of medicines that leverage the body’s natural protein production apparatus in order to treat diseases.

Moderna has sought to lay the foundations to scale drug development – this ambition sets it apart from other biotech companies.

The company has a diverse pipeline looking for cures for the four ‘big killers’ – cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.

Who is key?

CEO Stephane Bancel. “Predictable, replicable drugs in abundance”. Bancel’s audacious goal and unwavering belief is if you apply a Silicon Valley-type mentality to drug development, the improvement is not marginal but tenfold.

Chairman Noubar Afeyan. Afeyan co-founded Moderna via Flagship Pioneering in 1999. Flagship Pioneering is revolutionising the entrepreneurial process in biotech by linking fundamental research with business expertise and investment.

 

First bought

in December 2020.

Talking about Moderna as simply a Covid-19 vaccine provider is akin to pigeonholing Amazon as just a bookshop in the early 2000s.

 

The company showcased on this page is part of a diversified portfolio. The commentary should not be taken as advice on an individual stock.

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