16 July 2026 – Moderna has announced that the first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating mRNA-4200, an investigational tumor-targeted cancer antigen therapy for patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

The candidate is designed to stimulate the body's immune system by encoding seven tumor-associated antigens commonly found across multiple cancer types. The approach aims to activate and expand T-cell responses against these shared tumor targets, potentially offering a broader immunotherapy strategy than therapies focused on a single antigen.

According to Dr. David Berman, Chief Development Officer at Moderna, mRNA-4200 is the company's third off-the-shelf cancer antigen therapy candidate and reflects its continued investment in developing scalable immunotherapies with the potential to benefit patients across a range of solid tumors.

The first participant was enrolled and treated at START Mountain Region in Salt Lake City, Utah, part of The START Center for Cancer Research, one of the world's leading community-based early-phase oncology research networks.

Dr. William McKean, the study's clinical investigator, described the first patient dosing as an important milestone in evaluating a novel therapeutic approach for patients with advanced cancers. He noted that the collaboration aims to provide eligible patients with early access to promising investigational treatments while generating the clinical evidence needed to support future development.

The Phase 1 study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06880549) is an open-label, multicentre, dose-escalation trial designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of mRNA-4200 in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy in adults with advanced solid tumors.

mRNA-4200 was developed through Moderna's collaboration with Immatics under their Database Program. The therapy incorporates tumor targets identified using Immatics' proprietary XPRESIDENT® target discovery and validation platform, together with its XCUBE® bioinformatics and artificial intelligence platform.

The study represents another step in the growing application of mRNA technology beyond infectious diseases, highlighting ongoing efforts to harness personalized and targeted immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

Source: Moderna