Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

MADRID — Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel had every reason to be smiling and happy on a brilliantly sunny Saturday afternoon here in Spain’s capital. In a couple of hours, a decade of the company’s research — boosted by a partnership with Merck — was going to culminate in the presentation of the first Phase 3 study to successfully demonstrate that a customized mRNA-based therapy called intismeran could improve outcomes for patients with melanoma. 

“It’s an amazing feeling,” he told STAT from the sidelines of the European Society for Medical Oncology annual meeting. “We’ve been working on intismeran for 10 years. Most people in the field thought this was never going to work, and many people had tried cancer vaccines before. But we were convinced, so it has been really special to be able to see all this work by so many people coming together to help patients.” 

In a wide-ranging interview, Bancel spoke to STAT about what’s next for intismeran, and how the drug’s success impacts the company’s R&D and business strategies. The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.