According to two experts, National Institutes of Health officials have urged professionals to remove all references to mRNA vaccination technology from grant applications as a sign that the company may have abandoned a promising area of medical research.
The NIH is studying the mRNA technologies to combat infectious diseases like cancer and the flu. It was used to develop COVID-19 vaccinations, which were credited with saving 3 million lives in the United States alone, a feat that President Donald Trump boasted about in his first word.
A professor at a Philadelphia-based biomedical research center informed a partner in an email that a job officer at NIH “flagged our pending give as having an mRNA vaccine element” in an email that KFF Health News reviewed.
The professor continued,” It’s also unclear whether provides for mRNA vaccines may be canceled.”
Additionally, NIH authorities informed a top NIH-funded vaccine scholar in New York state that any references to mRNA vaccines should be removed from future applications. She does not carry mRNA vaccine studies but described its efficacy in earlier grant applications.
Scientists shared their experiences with the Trump presidency under the condition of anonymity out of fear of being called in for retaliation.
A top official at the National Cancer Institute confirmed that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s company and the White House were the recipients of an email from acting director of the NIH, Matthew Memoli.
Prior to the company canceling other reports like those on vaccine hesitancy, Memoli sent a related information.
In a blunt message on the subject, Memoli stated that NIH was never interested in learning why people avoid vaccinations or in looking for ways to “improve vaccine curiosity and commitment.”
According to the National Cancer Institute official, who likewise spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, “it is reasonable to assume mRNA vaccine function is second.”
A similar letter about NIH-funded work in South Africa, which the White House has targeted because of false accusations that the country’s authorities is persecuting white folks, likewise went out, according to the standard. Another one regarding all global research collaborations recently came out, according to the official.
White House, HHS, and the NIH spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
One of the most important sources of funding for basic biomedical research is the NIH, whose most recent annual budget was$ 47 billion. Trump’s White House and the Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led organization created by a Trump executive order that directed federal agencies to prepare for widespread layoffs, are both under unprecedented scrutiny for their mission and programs.
At least 130 studies involving the mRNA technology in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID vaccines have received funding from the NIH, which have been distributed to billions of people worldwide.
According to a former government official with knowledge of internal discussions, the Trump administration plans to cut some funding for research on mRNA vaccines, but the timing is still unknown. To keep confidential information, the person spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Political conservatives in the United States have spread conspiracy theories that, without supporting scientific theory, claim that the shots and their relatively new technology are dangerous. This has undermined public support for mRNA research and COVID vaccinations.
The scientist in New York stated in an interview that there will not be any research being funded by NIH on mRNA vaccines. ” Maga people are persuaded that tens of thousands of people have been killed and mutilated by these vaccines,” said the spokesperson. They don’t believe that, but it is.
In the interim, hundreds of other vaccine-related studies are still unfinished. Since the fall, Johns Hopkins University’s vaccine researcher, Kawsar Talaat, has been waiting for funding to hire students for an antidiarrheal vaccine study.
She continued, “NIH approved our funding, and we are now waiting, and we don’t know if it will continue or be terminated.”
The scientist in Philadelphia expressed his opinion that Kennedy, a long-standing advocate for vaccine research, is to blame for the NIH’s decision to reject mRNA research.
The scientist informed his colleague,” Kennedy’s war on vaccines has begun.”
The scientist in New York described the mRNA language removal as “ridiculous.” However, the scientist claimed that “people in my lab will lose their jobs if my grant is rejected for any reason.”
The scientist continued,” I’ve worked with some of them for 20 years.” They are parents and have children. In academia, especially among vaccine scientists, is currently a real climate of fear about this.
The scientist stated that “my grant does not involve a request for funds to conduct mRNA vaccine experiments,” so my main concern was to avoid word-search flags, which at the very least would cause delays in any funding.
While tenured research professors at universities typically receive a salary from their institution, their lab and office staff are frequently paid by NIH grants. Two scientists were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for creating mRNA vaccines as a result of research that relied on NIH scientists working under infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and on pharmaceutical companies.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and the chairman of the chamber’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, said Kennedy had promised to work within the country’s current system of vaccine approval and safety monitoring and not establish parallel systems.
During a confirmation hearing, Cassidy, a physician, had voiced his objections to confirming Kennedy to the HHS post and raised his objections to vaccination. He claimed that he ended up supporting him because Kennedy had agreed to work closely with Cassidy and his committee.
However, Kennedy has come under fire in his first few weeks in office for handling a significant measles outbreak that resulted in a child’s death, the first case of the disease in more than a decade. A patient in New Mexico died after testing positive for measles, but the cause has not been determined. Kennedy has blamed malnourishment for the outbreak, promoted unproven measles treatments, and falsely claimed the vaccine is ineffective and even dangerous in a Fox News interview, but instead of urging vaccination against the disease, which is an almost surefire way to prevent infection.
A request for comment on the potential abandonment of mRNA vaccine research by the NIH was not received by Cassidy.
Health officials are reviewing a$ 590 million contract for bird flu shots that the Biden administration awarded to Moderna,  , Bloomberg News , has reported as part of the Trump administration’s effort to examine spending on mRNA vaccines. Legislation introduced by GOP lawmakers in at least seven states has the intention of restricting or banning mRNA vaccines. In some cases, the regulations would impose penalties on doctors who administer the injections, fines, and possibly revoke their licenses.
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