Moderna: the digital biotech of the future | Between Worlds Podcast | Dave Johnson

When I spoke with Dave Johnson, Chief Data and AI Officer at Moderna, he explained that mRNA is an information-based platform. Similar to a computer’s operating system, researchers can insert new genetic code from a virus to create a novel vaccine quickly and safely. It was the very software-like, digital nature of mRNA technology that inspired Moderna fashion themselves in the form of new type of digital biotech company with AI, algorithms, and automation at its core.
In this episode you will learn:
02:13 How Moderna brought a COVID19 vaccine to market so quickly
04:10 The value of investing in capabilities rather than competencies
06:20 How Moderna is different from a more traditional pharma company
10:02 The future of personalized cancer vaccines
11:27 Why there is so much misplaced optimism about AI in biotech
13:33 The Moderna digital platform
18:34 Why data scientists are not data analysts