mRNA cancer vaccine research shows promise as U.S. funding debate continues
mRNA cancer vaccines showed promising pancreatic cancer trial results and boosted tumor-fighting drugs in other research. U.S. officials canceled $500 million in vaccine funding, while the NCI is backing a $200 million cancer vaccine partnership.
mRNA vaccines are showing significant promise in cancer treatment, with a recent clinical trial helping to greatly extend the lives of people with pancreatic cancer. Researchers also said an mRNA vaccine boosted the effects of tumor-fighting drugs, bringing them closer to developing a universal vaccine that triggers the immune system against cancer.
More than 626,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year, with 626,140 deaths from cancer in the U.S. projected this year and 2.1 million new cases, according to the American Cancer Society. Physicians have been working to treat and study cancer for thousands of years, and major progress has been made to treat the disease, but scientists still have not found a cure.
Researchers are making strides towards developing a universal cancer vaccine designed to stimulate the immune system to target and fight tumours, with early successes reported in various studies. While ongoing trials for melanoma and lung cancer show promise, experts caution that significantly more funding is required to fully develop cancer vaccines.
Last August, the administration canceled $500 million in vaccine development funding. The Health Secretary said the action was aimed at shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate, while the FDA Commissioner said the decision was monetary and that some of the funding had shifted to developing a universal flu vaccine.
The Department of Health and Human Services has since taken steps to fund cancer vaccines. The National Cancer Institute is funding a $200 million public-private partnership toward trials of vaccines that initiate an immune response on tumors, and the department said it sees promise in mRNA technology for recurrence of hard-to-treat cancers.
Moderna is currently conducting a trial of its mRNA vaccine on patients with high-risk melanoma, and other U.S. trials are recruiting patients with lung cancer and melanoma. But clinical research is expensive, and it is unclear how much the $200 million will cover.
- 626,140 U.S. cancer deaths are projected this year.
- 2.1 million new U.S. cancer cases are projected this year.
- $500 million in vaccine development funding was canceled last August.
- $200 million has been committed to a public-private partnership for cancer vaccine trials.