Moderna has appointed David Berman, MD, PhD, as Chief Development Officer, adding him to its Executive Committee and placing him under Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel. He succeeds Dr. Jacqueline Miller, who steps down as Chief Medical Officer. Announcing the move, Bancel said, “David's leadership experience in oncology and infectious disease will be critical as we continue to invest and drive innovation across Moderna's pipeline.” He also thanked Miller for building a strong vaccines team and noted that Moderna now has three approved vaccines and three more in Phase 3 or filed for approval, alongside an early-stage research pipeline.
Berman brings more than 20 years of drug development experience, having worked on over a dozen clinical-stage immunotherapies. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at Immunocore, where he led the approval of the first T cell receptor therapeutic. Earlier, he ran AstraZeneca’s immuno-oncology franchise and held senior development roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, including work on the first approved checkpoint inhibitor. On his appointment, Berman said, “The strength of Moderna's mRNA platform and its diverse pipeline position the Company to address some of the most challenging diseases of our time.” He added that he looks forward to advancing new treatments for cancer, rare diseases, and infectious diseases through immune-based approaches.