What to know about mRNA vaccines as RFK Jr. halts funding

Vaccines using mRNA technology weren’t immune to the latest round of federal research cuts.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he’s pulling the plug on nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines. The 22 projects are managed by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

“The data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu,” Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, said in a statement. “We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

Several studies have demonstrated that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were over 90% effective at preventing severe illness and death.

Vaccine researchers immediately took issue with the fiscal gutting, calling it a major setback for science.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” said Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations.

Here’s a closer look at how mRNA vaccines work.

What is mRNA?

All living cells have ribonucleic acid, an essential biological molecule known as RNA.

RNA’s primary role in the body is to make proteins, which are needed for virtually every cellular process, from building and repairing tissues to defending the body from bacteria and viruses and transporting nutrients and oxygen.

Proteins are synthesized using three main types of RNA — messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA).

MRNA’s job is to carry information for protein making from DNA to the cell’s ribosomes, where it’s translated into proteins.

How do mRNA vaccines work?

MRNA can be created in a laboratory and injected into the body to instruct cells to make a protein associated with a specific virus.

The body recognizes the protein as foreign and produces antibodies to combat it. When the actual virus or pathogen invades the body, the immune system is ready to neutralize it, preventing or reducing the severity of illness.

Though mRNA was discovered in the early 1960s, the first mRNA vaccine wasn’t approved for human use until 2020.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in December 2020 and later granted full approval.

The vaccine uses mRNA to tell cells to make a harmless piece of the coronavirus’s spike protein.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was also granted full approval by the FDA.

MRNA vaccines are being explored for the treatment of cancer, food allergies and infectious diseases.

Researchers say that mRNA vaccines can be developed faster than traditional vaccines because they do not require the time-consuming process of growing live virus cultures in a lab.

“The theoretical advantage of mRNA-based vaccines lies in their rapid adaptability,” Grant Hansman, senior research fellow at the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics at Griffith University in Australia, wrote this week in The Conversation.

“They will potentially allow annual updates to match circulating strains.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that mRNA vaccines do not contain any live viruses or pathogens and do not alter a person’s DNA.

The mRNA molecule eventually breaks down in the body.

The Cleveland Clinic reports that the risks of mRNA vaccines include pain or swelling at the injection site, fever, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches and allergic reactions.

In his statement, Kennedy said that mRNA vaccines will be phased out in favor of whole killed virus vaccines, a traditional approach that uses entire pathogens that have been inactivated through heat, radiation or chemicals.

Though it’s a tried-and-true method of immunization, critics have raised concerns that these vaccines produce a weaker immune response than mRNA vaccines and pose manufacturing and logistical challenges.

With Post wires