Moderna has begun testing a flu shot that uses mRNA technology, the drugmaker said July 7.
The first participants in an early stage clinical trial have received a dose of the mRNA flu shot, and Moderna plans to enroll about 180 people.
Moderna said mRNA technology could provide advantages over current flu shot technology, which is only about 40 percent to 60 percent effective and takes six to nine months to prepare.
An mRNA flu shot could also be combined with other vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine, so one shot could provide protection from multiple viruses.
"Our vision is to develop an mRNA combination vaccine so that people can get one shot each fall for high efficacy protection against the most problematic respiratory viruses," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a news release.
Read the full news release here.