Moderna stock surged Wednesday after Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison praised the potential of artificial intelligence in developing cancer vaccines.
During a meeting at the White House, President Donald Trump announced a $500 million investment in AI infrastructure, according to the Economic Times. The same meeting saw Ellison tout the impact AI has had on health care. He specifically called out cancer detection, treatment and cancer vaccines.
Ellison claimed using AI, a messenger RNA-based vaccine could be produced robotically in just 48 hours. Moderna is using its mRNA technology to develop a cancer vaccine in partnership with Merck. Moderna is using the same platform it used to create its Covid vaccine, Spikevax.
Moderna stock jumped 7.3%, closing at 38.50. Shares are butting up against a ceiling at their 50-day moving average, according to MarketSurge.
Moderna Stock: Bespoke Cancer Vaccines
Moderna representatives didn't respond to a request for comment about the feasibility of Ellison's claim.
Ellison is correct that tumors shed their DNA into the bloodstream. Blood tests like Guardant Health's Shield can detect those fragments early in a patient's cancer journey. Shield is approved to look for early signs of colorectal cancer.
Each tumor has its own unique signature. Bespoke cancer vaccines, like Moderna's, train the body to look for early signs that cancer has returned following treatment. The immune system can then mount a response because, thanks to the cancer vaccine, it knows the tumor's unique signature.
Moderna is testing its cancer vaccine in combination with Merck's Keytruda. So far, the companies have presented test results from patients who have already been treated for melanoma and lung cancer.
Germany's BioNTech — another mRNA Covid vaccine player — is also developing a cancer vaccine. It's in testing as part of a three-drug cocktail for patients with pancreatic cancer. BioNTech is collaborating with Roche's Genentech subsidiary.
BioNTech stock, though, fell 1.8% to 115.17.
Follow Allison Gatlin on X/Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
