Tlate scientist and thinker Donald Braben argued that the breakthroughs of the 20th century resulted from scientists being free to pursue bold ideas without the pressure of quick results or rigid peer review. The rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines seemed to confirm his contention: emergencies have accelerated. testsrelaxed regulatory consistency and encouraged scientists to share results prior to peer review. From this came one of the greatest scientific success stories of our time: mRNA vaccines. They use synthetic genetic code to train the immune system to defend against viruses. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, whose work led to the creation of the mRNA Covid vaccine, won the competition. Nobel prize. Their breakthrough suggests that loosening traditional constraints could speed up major scientific advances.
The extensive scientific and logistical infrastructure built during this period is now being used to apply technology to combat other diseases: influenza, HIV and even Cancer. Until recently, the US, which had invested more than $10 billion in mRNA development, seemed poised to reap the scientific and commercial rewards. Despite the push for deregulation that birthed mRNA, the second Trump administration rejected it. Instead, he was remarkably steadfast in his commitment to the radical anti-science and anti-vaccination agenda of US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. sabotage US own success. Over the summer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a “coordinated end” of federal funding for mRNA research, canceling an additional $500 million in funding for 22 projects.
These cuts will be devastating. The development of new, safe treatments depends on long time frames, stable funding and – Braben's thesis notwithstanding – predictable regulation. The dramatic shift in US policy signals that Washington is now an unreliable partner, willing to walk away after others have invested heavily. And when federal agencies that were once trusted stop recommending mRNA vaccines or intentionally slow approvals do double the harm: it undermines public trust and harms the system designed to keep people safe. It's all too much visible in drop in vaccination tariffs in the USA. The pharmaceutical industry is not a benevolent player, but these firms want to provide mRNA technology and profit from it. The volatile US market makes this task much more difficult.
The future of vaccination
While mRNA vaccines have proven effective against Covid, the next frontier remains an open question. Early evidence from laboratory studies and trials suggests that they are excellent immune system boosters, although actual results are more difficult to determine. They can be made quickly, easily set up, and a plant that produces one type of mRNA vaccine should – with some caveats – be able to produce any other. This means scientists can test a huge number of candidates: there are hundreds of vaccines currently in clinical trials, including early-stage work against extremely challenging pathogens such as HIV.
So far, the biggest impact of mRNA has been on diseases for which we already vaccinate, but not very effectively. For example, flu shots are slow to develop and difficult to produce, which is a terrible analogue to a virus that mutates every year. In some winters, the standard flu shot only protects against serious illness. about 30% of the time. Recently, mRNA vaccines have been developed against influenza, such as mRNA1010 Modern And ModRNA from Pfizer significantly outperformed the standard flu shot in late-phase trials. It's another vote of confidence in the technology, but it also creates a potentially clarifying conflict with the Trump administration: a decision on US approval of these vaccines is expected in early 2026 and is being made by the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which is run by Vinay Prasada close ally of Mr. Kennedy. A negative or stalled outcome would confirm how far the administration is willing to go in its anti-mRNA crusade.
Ironically, the most ambitious work to create mRNA has eluded the Trump administration. Companies are rushing to develop personalized cancer vaccines, attracted both by the huge market and by the fact that the White House doesn't seem to view these treatments as “vaccines” at all. As a result, they remained virtually untouched. The development of mRNA was not just an academic endeavor. Technology has advanced because companies have created the infrastructure needed to turn laboratory results into treatments. Paradoxically for a Republican president, it is precisely this business that US politics is now jeopardizing.
Responsibility of the world
It will take more than an energetic Donald Trump to destroy the US advantage in mRNA research and production. The technology originated in an American university, where most of the industry's jobs are located, and almost 75% of total production leaves the US (the rest is almost entirely in the EU). However, both the public and industry researchers are alarmed by the government's actions. say that they will take their work elsewhere if this continues. It's quite a leap from threatening to move to actually doing it. Given the circumstances, the UK and EU must help them do this.
The EU made the right noise by recruiting American scientists scared of Trump. with the proposed 500 million euros from the European Commission and another 100 million euros promised by France. But this is only a fraction of what the US president has cut, and it remains to be seen whether this money will materialize. If Trump's campaign against mRNA research continues, upcoming EU Biotechnology Act must make it a priority for Europe to surpass the US as the world's leading center for mRNA research and production. As a block, it is already confidently in second place.
The UK also has a role to play. It is a major vaccine research center with an interest in cancer therapy using mRNA and partnership with industry. Its manufacturing ambitions were largely focused on vaccine self-sufficiency, but with multiple facilities, they already know how to make vaccinesknow-how needs to be built.
As long as Mr. Kennedy is allowed to set policy, American mRNA research will be conducted in a hostile environment. This is a critical moment for the technology, with a second generation of vaccines emerging and many promising long-term programs that need support. The US was responsible for much of the early success of these vaccines, but it was always a global project. The rest of the world must now see this through.
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