One year ago this month, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services canceled $500 million in mRNA research grants, suggesting the technology was not safe and not effective.
The decision sent a shockwave through the American research community, but the promise of RNA-based medicines has only continued to grow. Since the cancellation:
- Moderna and Merck reported promising new results in melanoma, offering further evidence of mRNA’s potential to transform cancer treatment. Reuters reported the “breakthrough could usher in wave of cancer vaccines.”
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first mRNA flu vaccine. The approval enables “use of a technology that will make it easier to rapidly target a widely prevalent or particularly virulent strain of the virus,” according to the New York Times.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering announced promising results from a study of an individualized mRNA cancer vaccine for pancreatic cancer, with nearly 90% of patients who responded to the vaccine still alive up to six years later.
- Two-year-old KJ Muldoon, his parents and medical support team celebrated the one-year anniversary of the world’s first personalized CRISPR gene therapy, delivered with the help of mRNA technology to treat KJ’s rare genetic disorder.
- Biotech and biopharmaceutical companies announced multiple new partnerships around promising RNA technologies, bringing together the innovation of smaller research companies with the resources, expertise and scale of larger biopharmaceutical companies.
What a difference one year can make. Leading editorials are underscoring the promise of mRNA research. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the melanoma results “heralds the potential of personalized mRNA vaccines to treat and prevent cancers,” while the Washington Post called the results “proof of concept for an approach to cancer treatment that has been under development for decades.”
The lesson from the last 12 months is clear: RNA-based technology is critical for patients, and continued American leadership in this space is essential. As Dr. Jeff Coller – a pioneer in RNA research and co-founder of the Alliance for mRNA Medicines – wrote for STAT News:
“Private capital and foreign governments are still building on mRNA, and a growing share of the world’s programs now originates in China. The United States invented this platform and is the only country walking away from it.”
If you have any questions or would like to discuss what’s happening in RNA research, feel free to reach out.
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Alliance for mRNA Medicines (AMM)
The Alliance for mRNA Medicines (AMM) is dedicated to advancing and advocating for an RNA platform approach to medicine, including protein replacements, gene editing and cell engineering strategies, immunotherapies and vaccines to treat cancer, rare disease, autoimmunity and other chronic and infectious illnesses for the benefit of patients, public health, and society.
We advance this mission by shaping policy, accelerating regulatory science, expanding access, and enabling manufacturing—while convening the scientists, innovators, and industry leaders who are turning RNA’s promise into reality. Our goal is simple: ensure that transformative RNA medicines reach every patient who needs them. Learn more at https://mrnamedicines.org
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