LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has investedanother $140 million in Moderna Therapeutics, the U.S. biotech"unicorn" which already has a cash pile of around $1 billion andis developing drugs based on a molecule known as messenger RNA.
The British drugmaker said on Wednesday that the newinvestment, part of a preferred-stock financing, lifted itsstake in Moderna to 9 percent. AstraZeneca first invested inModerna in 2013.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries the recipe for making proteinsinside the body. Using it as a medicine could offer a new way totackle many hard-to-treat diseases, from cancer to infections toheart and kidney disorders.
In effect mRNA serves as software that can be injected intothe body to instruct ribosomes, the "3D-printers" found insidecells, to churn out the desired proteins.
Moderna's work is still at an early stage. It has two PhaseI studies underway for mRNA-based infectious disease vaccines,and last month Moderna and AstraZeneca filed for approval to runanother Phase I study of a vascular disease treatment.
Moderna also has strategic agreements with AlexionPharmaceuticals, Merck and VertexPharmaceuticals. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
