Dated updates on herpes-simplex-virus (HSV) vaccine research — trial starts, results, and status changes, each with sources.https://herpesvaccinations.com/en-ushttps://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2026-03-10-trivalent-mrna-preclinical/https://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2026-03-10-trivalent-mrna-preclinical/A peer-reviewed mouse study from the University of Pennsylvania group behind the trivalent gC2/gD2/gE2 mRNA design — the approach licensed to BioNTech as BNT163 — reported that the vaccine protected against HSV-1 eye infection and spread to the nervous system in mice. The findings are preclinical (in animals) and broaden the trivalent rationale beyond genital HSV-2; on their own they are not evidence of protection in people.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2025-11-20-moderna-ends-mrna-1608/https://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2025-11-20-moderna-ends-mrna-1608/Moderna announced on 20 November 2025 that it will not advance mRNA-1608, its therapeutic HSV-2 vaccine candidate, to Phase 3, discontinuing the program as part of a company-wide pipeline prioritization. Its Phase 1/2 trial had completed in April 2025 with encouraging interim data; the available reporting frames the decision as strategic rather than a reported safety or efficacy failure.Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2025-10-19-idweek-2025-mrna-hsv-data/https://herpesvaccinations.com/updates/2025-10-19-idweek-2025-mrna-hsv-data/At IDWeek 2025 (19–22 October, Atlanta), interim clinical data were presented for two mRNA herpes vaccine candidates: BioNTech's prophylactic BNT163 (Phase 1) and Moderna's therapeutic mRNA-1608 (Phase 1/2). Both are early-stage safety and immune-response read-outs shared as conference abstracts — encouraging early signals, not evidence that either prevents or controls disease.Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT