Kennedy cuts funding for mRNA vaccine research. See how they work and why it matters.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement Aug. 5 that the multimillion-dollar cuts are being made because 'the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.'
Research that helped develop mRNA vaccines won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023. Members of the scientific community are criticizing Kennedy for his decision.
How do mRNA vaccines work?
Messenger RNA vaccines, or mRNA, differ from traditional ones. Instead of growing a virus and weakening it to allow the body to engage its natural defenses, mRNA vaccines use pieces of genetic code to manufacture a protein, a piece of the virus. That causes the body to create its own antibodies against the virus.
Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech created mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. This is how those vaccines worked:
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It can take years to develop and test traditional vaccines before they can be used. However, mRNA vaccines can be manufactured in just months, according to The New York Times. They can be rapidly restructured to combat viruses as they change. An mRNA vaccine does not interact with or affect our DNA, the CDC says. The body discards the mRNA after it's used.
How do traditional vaccines work?
The HHS unit Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority helps companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats and had provided billions of dollars for development of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.
HHS said the cancellation includes a contract awarded to Moderna for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans and the right to purchase the shots.
The health agency said it was also rejecting or canceling multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone and others, Reuters said.
Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic. He has called COVID-19 vaccines the deadliest ever made, and in June he fired 17 members of a CDC panel that made recommendations on vaccine use.
It's unclear whether patients should be expecting COVID-19 vaccines this fall, USA TODAY reported
CONTRIBUTING Adrianna Rodriguez and Ken Alltucker
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; sciencemediacentre.org
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