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Medical areas of focus

Using our platform, we are developing mRNA medicines for diverse uses and delivering them to patients across the globe. We are currently focusing on 4 medical areas – infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and autoimmune disease.

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What is a modality?

When we identify technologies that we believe could enable a new group of potential mRNA medicines with shared features, we call that group a modality. While the programs within a modality may target diverse diseases, they share similar mRNA characteristics, delivery technologies and manufacturing processes.  

Moderna's modalities

  • Prophylactic vaccines 

  • Systemic secreted & cell surface therapeutics 

  • Cancer vaccines 

  • Intratumoral immuno-oncology  

  • Localized regenerative therapeutics 

  • Systemic intracellular therapeutics 

  • Inhaled pulmonary therapeutics 


    We have created seven modalities to date, but we are relentlessly working to grow this number as we discover mRNA medicines. 

Medical areas of focus

Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases

The world needs novel, innovative approaches to address both known and future infectious disease threats.  

Immuno-oncology

Immuno-oncology

We are harnessing the body’s immune system to identify and kill cancer cells in the same way the immune system identifies and targets infections.

Personalized cancer vaccines

Personalized cancer vaccines

We are creating individualized, mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines to deliver one custom-tailored medicine to one patient at a time.  

Rare diseases

Rare diseases

Moderna recognizes the impact of rare diseases on patients and their families, particularly when the disease lacks any effective treatment options.  

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular Diseases

Moderna has partnered with an AstraZeneca-led study to evaluate the use of an mRNA therapeutic that can help in the fight against cardiovascular disease.

Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases

We are developing several potential mRNA therapeutics that we believe have the potential to help the millions of patients battling autoimmune diseases.