INTERVIEW
Co-founder and Chairman of Moderna
Noubar Afeyan “I come from an immigrant family, like many innovators. I think immigration and innovation go hand in hand” By Olivier O’Mahony and Zeina Trad for "Hospitals" magazine
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fter having been able to get in touch with his company Flagship Pioneering that founded Moderna, its chairman Noubar Afeyan remembers his career as a biochemical engineer that has pushed him for thirty years to dedicate his life to innovating and transforming inventions into viable businesses. Thus, he created fifty companies and submitted a hundred patents! As early as February, Moderna announced that it had developed a new innovative type of vaccine against Covid-19 that had never been deployed in humans: the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine. This technology consists of administering a molecule capable of causing the patient's cells to generate their own medicine.
Is, mRNA-1273 developed by Moderna, the laboratory you co-founded, the miracle vaccine that the whole world is waiting for? It is 94.5% effective and offers long-lasting protection for 120 days, according to a study we just published. It’s a great result. This vaccine is much easier to handle compared to other vaccines. Our vaccine can be kept for one day at room temperature, thirty days in a fridge, and six months in -20 degrees, while Pfizer's vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70 degrees. This vaccine is injected while Pfizer's needs to be diluted, which wastes time and leads to a risk of error.
However, a recent scientific study shows that the severity of side effects (fatigue, headaches, chills) increases with the second injection. Should we be worried? No, this is a common reaction to all vaccines. And out of the 30,000 patients tested, we did not see any severe side effects.
You are one of the creators of this vaccine which was developed in record time. How did you accomplish that? I am a biochemical engineer, and for thirty
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years I have dedicated my life to innovating and transforming inventions into viable businesses. Thus, I created fifty companies and submitted a hundred patents. This experience made me realize that contrary to popular belief, entrepreneurship is not improvisation. There are common points from one project to another and there are also rules to follow. Therefore, I created the investment company Flagship Pioneering, which founded Moderna.
Inventing new concepts, how do you accomplish that? Instead of wondering what can be achieved with existing science, I ask the question: “what if?” (“And if it was possible?”). I rely on imagination. Invention is a process, in which one question leads to another.
What was the idea behind Moderna? It was about coming up with a way to inject a molecule into the human body that causes the patient's cells to generate their own medicine instead of administering a drug or a vaccine that will help them heal. This is a revolutionary approach, which went against the ideas established in the scientific world in 2010, and against my training as a biochemist, whose main mission
INSTEAD OF WONDERING WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH EXISTING SCIENCE, I ASK THE QUESTION: “WHAT IF?” (“AND IF IT WAS POSSIBLE?”). I RELY ON IMAGINATION. INVENTION IS A PROCESS, IN WHICH ONE QUESTION LEADS TO ANOTHER.
