Moderna’s Booster Candidates Produced Superior Omicron Response
In a recent press release, the manufacturer Moderna announced that in phase II/III clinical trials, its bivalent Omicron-targeting booster candidates (mRNA-1273.214 and mRNA-1273.222) generated a superior antibody response compared with a booster dose of mRNA-1273—the company’s prototype vaccine—against Omicron (BA.4/BA.5). Data also revealed that both bivalent vaccines met noninferiority immunogenicity criteria to the original strain. Read more.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s Omicron Boosters Show Improved Immune Response
Pfizer-BioNTech recently announced results from an analysis assessing the immune response induced by the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine against newer Omicron sublineages. The data from this analysis indicated that the companies’ bivalent vaccine elicits a better increase in neutralizing antibody titers than the companies’ original COVID-19 vaccine against emerging Omicron sublineages. Read more.

Scientists Explore a 20-Subtype mRNA Influenza Vaccine
According to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, an experimental mRNA-based vaccine against all 20 known subtypes of the influenza virus provided extensive protection from otherwise lethal strains to initial test and therefore may one day serve as a universal preventative measure against a future influenza pandemic. Learn more about this upcoming vaccine.