It is impossible to understate the incredible success of mRNA vaccines over the past year. The stunning efficacy of this vaccine technology against SARS-CoV-2 is offering the world a path out of this global pandemic. And the technology is now rapidly moving forward on another problematic viral disease, influenza.

Moderna's influenza vaccine candidate is currently dubbed mRNA-1010. It's the company's first flu vaccine to move to human trials and it targets four separate strains of the virus: influenza A H1N1, H3N2, influenza B Yamagata and Victoria.

The Phase 1/2 trial is taking place in the United States and is designed to primarily evaluate the vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune response, or immunogenicity. The plan is to ultimately recruit around 180 subjects over the coming months.