Robert Langer is leaving the board of Moderna, the biotech he co-founded and that soared to unexpected heights during the Covid-19 pandemic because of its pioneering mRNA vaccine.
David RubensteinThe company on Tuesday announced his departure along with that of Stephen Berenson, managing partner at Flagship Pioneering, Moderna’s incubator. David Rubenstein, who co-chairs The Carlyle Group — one of the biggest private equity and asset managers in the world — will replace Berenson on the audit committee. Moderna said it is recruiting for Langer’s replacement.
“My decision to leave Moderna’s board was not taken lightly, but I believe the company is in an extremely strong position for continued success,” Langer, 75, told Endpoints News on Tuesday. “This was my decision. I’ve been on the board for 14 years since I co-founded Moderna. It was the right time for me to step down, but I’m certainly not going away.”
The billionaire, described by Moderna as the “most cited engineer in history,” easily won reelection to the board two months ago, securing enough votes to serve another three-year term at the biotech’s annual stockholders meeting.
Langer and Berenson will consult for Moderna through Nov. 1, 2026, the company said. In its SEC filing, the company said neither of the resignations were the result of “any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices.”
Stephen BerensonIn a press release, Berenson, 63, said he believed Moderna could “become one of the most impactful and valuable pharmaceutical companies ever created.”
“I have immense pride in what we have accomplished together over the years at Moderna and have full confidence that the team will bring forward even more remarkable achievements,” Langer wrote in an email, noting Rubenstein’s “remarkable track record.”
Rubenstein has a “personal interest” in Moderna’s work, according to a company spokesperson. The Carlyle Group is not an investor.
“David brings an incredibly rich depth of experience investing in and growing businesses across a host of industries as the co-founder, co-chairman, and former co-CEO of The Carlyle Group,” Moderna chair Noubar Afeyan said in a press release. “As the chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairman of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, David is also one of the most respected voices globally on issues related to policy and international affairs, and we welcome his insight as we execute on our global growth strategy.”
Langer is one of MIT’s 14 so-called institute professors and more than 250 pharma, biotech, medical device and chemical companies have licensed or sublicensed his patents, according to his MIT Biological Engineering profile. He’s co-founded a bevy of biotechs, including slow-release drug company Lyndra, long non-coding RNA startup NextRNA, diabetes cell therapy maker Sigilon and many others.