Alright, so you’re wondering if Moderna has really just cured cancer. The answer is maybe. Probably. Doctors have been talking about this potential use of mRNA vaccines since COVID, and it looks like it’s playing out as well as one could hope. I’ve read through the trial data and it looks promising as hell.
So, you don’t want to invest in Moderna because it just spiked +100% in one day on the news of the phase 3 trial success for melanoma paired with KEYTRUDA.
I’m a doctor, and I’m kicking myself for not buying the Moderna LEAPs I was eyeing a couple of months ago after seeing the stock was down over 80% since its COVID highs. So I asked myself, what other companies would benefit from a breakthrough in a personalized cancer vaccine.
This is closely related to my job, where I biopsy lots of hard to reach cancers than surgeons can’t reach. I probably biopsy about 10-15 cancers a week so that oncologists can sequence tumors and look for potential drug targets. Requests for biopsies have increased drastically in the past years as we sequence and resequence tumors, looking for genetic targets for the few nonpersonalized, but targeted immunotherapy drugs we currently have.
Here’s what I think is the next play: companies which specialize in genetic sequencing of tumors.
Each patient will need their tumor sequenced to look for genetic targets. Moderna has phase 1 trials for similar vaccines for all types of cancer; lung, renal, pancreatic, etc. These vaccines are personalized on an individual level, and what works for person’s one tumor won’t work for another. If these cancer vaccines truly take off, the demand for generic sequencing will take off in tandem with Moderna’s or any other company’s vaccines.
Moderna’s sequencing partner is Personalis (PSNL) which saw a good bump in price today, around 12%, which makes me think that other people understand the connection between a successful cancer vaccine and genetic sequencing. You can’t have one without the other.
Not to make insane comparisons, but this would be like investing in graphics cards when you think you already missed the boat on AI
Position : currently 97 shares, and buying another 903 when my big fat doctor paycheck comes in on Friday + some calls