Moderna Closer to Developing Vaccine for Birth Defect-Causing Infection

Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) announced after the closing bell on Tuesday that it had finished enrollment for a mid-stage clinical study concerning one of its mRNA-based vaccines. The treatment in question, mRNA-1647, seeks to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV), a major cause of birth defects in newborn babies when transmitted via a pregnant mother.

The phase 2 trial for mRNA-1647 will test 252 healthy adults affected with CMV. While the symptoms of the virus are relatively mild (fever, sore throat, and weight loss, although in many cases there are no noticeable symptoms), pregnant women with CMV are at risk of spreading the infection on to their babies. There's a significant risk that newborns infected with CMV in this way will be born with a disability.

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Source Fool.com