The first signs of an overhaul came quickly from the newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump. After being back in power just two months, his administration had already slashed funding for more than 30 research projects related to reasons for and measures against vaccine skepticism. This made it clear to scientists that future mRNA research in the US could also be in jeopardy.

At that time, the administration of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is responsible for biomedical research, had also requested a list of all NIH-funded research projects dealing with mRNA technology. These were to be forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House. A similar request was also made regarding research projects related to vaccine skepticism — before their funding was cut.

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services — headed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for his opposition to vaccines — announced it would cut $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines at the NIH.

How effective are mRNA vaccines?

A statement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it would terminate several contracts, reject applications for research funding that had already been submitted and restructure some existing partnerships.

"We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted," said Kennedy. Investment in 22 projects dealing with mRNA vaccines will be halted "because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."

But experts immediately took issue with his statement. They point out that mRNA vaccines have been used successfully in the COVID pandemic.

"Overall mRNA vaccines were responsible for saving millions of lives in the COVID-19 pandemic," said Charles Bangham, professor emeritus of immunology at Imperial College London.

"Few, if any, antiviral vaccines will completely prevent the virus from entering the body," Bangham continued. "What the vaccine does is to lessen the severity of the infection, reducing disease and the risk of death."

Slowing mRNA research leaves us 'more vulnerable to future pandemics'

Jaime M. Yassif of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a nonprofit organization that campaigns against biological, nuclear and chemical weapons, called the announced funding cuts "a grave mistake."

"Halting research on much needed technology for rapidly developing new vaccines makes Americans and the world vulnerable to future pandemics," said Yassif, vice president for biological policy and programs at NTI, in a statement. This applies to both naturally occurring diseases and those that could be developed in a laboratory and used as weapons, she added.

Kennedy's claim that mRNA vaccines do not offer reliable protection "is patently false," Yassif said. "If not for the rapid deployment of mRNA vaccines during COVID-19, the cost in lives lost and economic damage would have been far more severe."

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer shares down on cuts

The German company BioNTech, which developed one of the mRNA coronavirus vaccines in collaboration with the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, is not affected by the cuts. "We have not received any funds from the US government and have nothing outstanding," a BioNTech spokeswoman told DW.

In contrast, cooperation partner Pfizer is mentioned in the HHS' statement under the heading "rejection or cancellation" of proposals. Pfizer shares temporarily lost 3% of their value after Kennedy's decision was announced. The company did not respond to a request for comment from DW.

The renowned Emory University in the US state of Georgia is also among those whose contracts with the US government are being wound up. A spokesperson for the university's Woodruff Health Sciences Center told DW that the cutbacks affect a research project involving a drug for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as influenza and COVID-19. The collaboration had only been announced in September 2024.

Emory University researchers were planning to test whether the antiviral treatment could be produced as a dry powder that would not require continuous cooling. The funds for this project have now been cut.

Research cuts impact beyond the US

The mRNA technology is not only used in vaccines against respiratory diseases. From acne to Lyme disease and dengue fever to AIDS, researchers are looking for mRNA vaccines against a wide variety of diseases. Research is being conducted all over the world, with China and South Korea among the countries working on many projects.

The technology also plays an important role in cancer research. In the fight against colon cancer, for example, US researchers are working on a drug that is intended to prevent the cancer from returning after the original tumor has been surgically removed. According to the HHS, funding for such research should be maintained. However, experts are calling for continued support for mRNA vaccine research as well.

Cuts in research would limit the US' ability to develop vaccines quickly in the event of a new pandemic, unless "alternative sources of funding can be secured," said Penelope Ward, visiting professor of pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London. Furthermore, she added, the cuts are not just a problem for the US. "It is detrimental to us all."

This article was originally written in German.