A Vaccine for Epstein-Barr Virus: Gary Nabel on The Long Run

Gary Nabel is today’s guest on The Long Run.

Gary is the CEO of Weston, Mass.-based ModeX Therapeutics. The company has a platform for making multi-specific biologics into vaccines and cancer treatments. ModeX was founded in 2020, building on work that started at Sanofi when Nabel was the chief scientific officer there.

Gary Nabel, co-founder and CEO, ModeX Therapeutics

The initial application of this technology, currently in clinical trials, is for a vaccine against Epstein-Barr Virus. This virus is known to cause infectious mononucleosis, a disease that comes with flu-like symptoms that can last weeks or months. But what has become clearer in recent years is that EBV, which lays dormant in most adults, can be reactivated later in life and cause a lot of other problems. EBV is implicated as a culprit in several types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases.

There is no vaccine against the virus, and the ModeX candidate still has a long way to go. But if ModeX and its partner, Merck. are successful, it could theoretically prevent a lot of debilitating chronic diseases. ModeX is using the same technology toolkit to spur an immune response against cancer and to treat or prevent COVID-19. 

There’s a fascinating story here about how deeper understanding of the biology of EBV infections, and the expanding capabilities in the antibody engineering toolkit, have led us to this point of possibility. Gary’s career, starting as a virologist, then taking senior scientific positions at the NIH and Sanofi, has ended up leading down this very interesting startup path.

The Long Run is sponsored by AlphaSense.

So far 2026 has been a year of transition for healthcare and life sciences. Over the first half of this year, the AlphaSense healthcare research team analyzed the individual stories moving the needle across the life sciences ecosystem as part of the Sector Spotlight series. The eight spotlights can be downloaded here. They featuring the high-stakes battles for new drug markets (like oral GLP-1s and targeted radioligand therapies), a resurgent biotech IPO market, and more.

Follow the sector’s key debates during 2H26 and beyond, with the latest Sector Spotlights directly in AlphaSense.

AND

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Now please enjoy this conversation with Gary Nabel on The Long Run.