Can mRNA medicine change the world?

The challenge

A platform everyone was watching, and almost no one could see.

Moderna has been at the forefront of messenger RNA research and its potential to re-engineer mRNA into a versatile therapy for anything from rare diseases to cancer to a vaccine for COVID-19.

Early on, as a private biotech, Moderna focused on patent filings, quiet clinical trials and publications that indicated intent but gave little detail on the technology. As the pipeline expanded it gathered interest and scrutiny in equal measure. The company needed to quell uncertainty about its platform and strengthen its scientific credibility with investors and partners.

The approach

Tangible, clear reasons to believe in the science.

In late 2016 Moderna asked us to create visualizations to accompany their drug candidate research, translating mRNA as medicine into something an audience could hold onto.

As the company grew we supported them across DCs, animations, R&D Days, Science Days, Vaccine Days, journal covers and corporate citizenship work.

Context, the client's own milestone: on December 6, 2018, Moderna completed the biotech industry's largest initial public offering — bringing heightened inquiry and attention to the company and its platform technology.

Written and animated for people considering a trial, not for a scientific audience. The same platform science, carried at a pace a patient can follow and repeat to someone else.

Melissa J. Moore, Chief Scientific Officer at Moderna, at TED 2022. With the aid of our presentation she takes the audience on a molecular-level journey, revealing how mRNA helps our bodies' proteins maintain health, prevent disease and correct errors in our genetic code. Our work supported two TED Talks.