Emory research among federal vaccine grants quashed by DHS secretary

A spokesperson for Emory University told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he could not answer whether any of the work would be funded some other way or what the impact of the lost research would be to the public.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” said Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations.

The groundbreaking mRNA technology was first deployed to make vaccines against COVID-19 that are estimated to have saved millions of lives and prevented millions more cases of lingering illness. The original mRNA vaccines’ effectiveness and fast development were unprecedented.

Like with the flu, each year, the COVID virus mutates, and a new booster of the vaccine has to be manufactured.

“The impressive flexibility and speed with which mRNA vaccines can be developed pave the way for using the new platform also for vaccines against other infectious diseases,” the Nobel Committee said in awarding its inventors the 2023 Nobel Prize. The award citation said it mRNA technology may also lead to cancer treatments.

Kennedy’s decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the longtime vaccine critic’s doubts about shots into full effect at the nation’s health department. Kennedy has pulled back recommendations around the COVID-19 shots, fired the panel that makes vaccine recommendations, and refused to offer a vigorous endorsement of vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened.

The health secretary criticized mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts, explaining the decision to cancel projects being led by the nation’s top pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, that offer protection against viruses like the flu, COVID-19 and H5N1.

“To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we’re prioritizing the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate,” Kennedy said in the video.

Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Future pandemics, they warned, will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA.

Osterholm, the Minnesota scientist, noted mRNA technology offers potential advantages of rapid production, crucial in the event of a new pandemic that requires a new vaccine.

The shelving of the mRNA projects is shortsighted as concerns about a bird flu pandemic continue to loom, said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“It’s certainly saved millions of lives,” Offit said of the existing mRNA vaccines.

Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, with researchers around the world exploring its use for cancer immunotherapies. At the White House earlier this year, billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison praised mRNA for its potential to treat cancer.