Moderna Announces the Launch of Global Fellowship Program for Young Researchers Exploring mRNA Medicines

Initiative to support a new generation of leaders in mRNA therapeutics and vaccine research

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Oct. 6, 2021-- Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced the launch of the Moderna Fellowship Program. The goal of the program is to support the next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals as they innovate in the field of mRNA research towards improving patient care and population health.

Prospective fellows may be clinicians and scientists who are interested in advancing mRNA research and innovation and the program underpins Moderna’s commitment to supporting independent research. The fellowship program will select approximately 50 global fellows in the first year with a focus on infectious diseases. Greg Poland, M.D., infections disease expert and Director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, will serve as Chair of the program.

“We’re at a critical moment for mRNA vaccine development,” said Dr. Poland. “The time is now for investing in talent and idea generation that will propel a new era for research of mRNA approaches to infectious disease – and eventually, other therapeutic areas.”

“At Moderna, we aspire to make a positive impact today and in the decades to come. We are humbled by the opportunity to help a new network of collaborators around the world advance mRNA research,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “This program presents an opportunity for us to build and scale a new generation of mRNA scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals to improve quality of care by educating and advocating for clinical best practices with mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.”

The fellowship program will be overseen by an independent steering committee of international experts in science, medicine, and healthcare. The committee expects to receive applications from institutions around the world who wish to appoint a fellow in either clinical medicine, scientific research or another healthcare related discipline. To learn more, please visit www.modernatx.com/research-fellowship.

About Moderna

In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across six modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for both clinical and commercial production at scale and at unprecedented speed. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna’s capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna’s mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and auto-immune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past six years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including regarding: the Company’s launch of a global fellowship program for researchers exploring mRNA medicines and the design and potential impact of that program. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna’s control and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include those other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.