TÜBINGEN, BERLIN, Germany – November 6, 2017

The International mRNA Health Conference, the premier meeting destination for professionals and academics in the field of mRNA drugs, celebrated the success of its 5th annual event held in Berlin, Germany on November 1–2.

Over the two-day event, approximately 280 scientists and innovators from across academia and industry convened to discuss the transformation of the mRNA field from discovery stage to therapeutic reality. Topics of discussion included recent innovations in mRNA delivery and design, applications in product development, and the use of mRNA for cutting-edge indications such as therapeutic protein production and immuno-oncology. Keynote speaker and acclaimed mountaineer Reinhold Messner set the floor for the conference in his address, “Moving Mountains”, about positive energy and power that is needed among all stakeholders in order to advance the field toward its next inflection points.

“Since the inception of the mRNA Health Conference only five years ago, interest has grown exponentially,” said Ingmar Hoerr, Ph.D., founding member of the International mRNA Health Conference and CEO of CureVac. “The groundbreaking scientific efforts presented this year are a result of viable collaboration between colleagues in industry and academia, who share a common purpose of bringing safe, effective mRNA-based treatment options to patients as quickly as possible.”

“We are pleased with the accelerating progress of the mRNA field in 2017, including achieving clinical proof of concept in a number of disease areas,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna Therapeutics. “Together with our partners BioNTech and CureVac, we are excited to host the 2018 conference in Boston, where we hope that additional product development milestones will be reported on.”

“The strength of the science presented at this year’s International mRNA Health Conference is demonstrative of the quality of talent the field continues to attract,” commented Ugur Sahin, M.D., co-founder and CEO of BioNTech. “Each year, we continue to move towards achieving the true medical potential of mRNA.”