Merck doubles down on Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccines, paying $125M to partner on KRAS shared antigen strategy
Merck and its R&D chief Roger Perlmutter are betting big on their relationship with Moderna, paying $125 million for a chunk of Series H equity in the messenger RNA pioneer as they add a major collaboration on an off-the-shelf approach to cancers with KRAS mutations.
In an interview previewing the announcement, CEO Stephane Bancel and cancer research chief Tal Zaks noted that Merck plans to test this in combination with Keytruda, its star checkpoint inhibitor, which has faced a tough challenge in KRAS.
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