Moderna cofounder Robert Langer has re-entered the billionaires club after news that Moderna and Merck’s mRNA cancer vaccine met its goals in a Phase 3 trial targeting melanoma sent Moderna’s stock soaring more than 100%. Forbes estimated that Langer’s roughly 3% stake crossed the billion-dollar mark and pushed his net worth to about $1.7 billion, up from roughly $730 million on Tuesday. It is the second time Langer has reached 10-figure wealth: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine results first lifted him into the club in November 2020, and Forbes later estimated his fortune at as much as $4.9 billion in 2021 before the stock’s decline reduced his wealth. His stake was worth an estimated $343 million when Moderna shares fell to $29.81 in early January. The 77-year-old scientist has continued to urge young workers to prioritize meaningful, fulfilling work over money and job security. After turning down 20 high-paying oil-industry offers, enduring repeated grant and job rejections, and joining MIT’s faculty in 1978, Langer cofounded Moderna in 2010. The $56 billion company has been credited with developing one of the first successful mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and is advancing its melanoma program.