Once the hero of the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA technology has now become a target for skepticism among lawmakers and regulators who’ve raised concerns about its safety.
Much of the scrutiny has taken aim at vaccines. In fact, some federal funding for mRNA vaccines has been axed, including about $500 million in canceled contracts through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which terminated 22 mRNA projects.
But vaccines for infectious diseases like COVID-19 only scratch the surface of the R&D action in this area.
“RNA technology has spanned the gamut of human disease,” said Anirudha Chandrabhatla, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “The scope of mRNA research that is ongoing touches every aspect of human health, from infectious disease to neurological conditions, cardiovascular disease [and] rare genetic conditions.”
With massive funding cuts still rippling through government agencies and the echo chamber around mRNA fears growing louder, Chandrabhatla led a study to demonstrate how entrenched mRNA is in other areas of disease R&D and how the anti-mRNA push is “potentially threatening decades of progress.”
mRNA’s reach
Cancer has been a particular focus for mRNA researchers, according to the analysis, which was published in JAMA Network Open. But after analyzing NIH-funded research, Chandrabhatla saw that scientists have been on a mission to take the technology much further.
“We were actually surprised that there was quite a bit of funding directed to two specific areas. One was cancer, and that spans both solid and liquid tumors. The second was RNA technology in general ... [that] could theoretically be applied to any disease,” Chandrabhatla said.
“Small biotech startups across the country [rely] on this funding to propagate the ideas they have.”
Anirudha Chandrabhatla
Researcher, University of Virginia School of Medicine
The researchers analyzed 178 active grants that started between 1997 and 2025 and cost a total of $1.65 billion. While 75 of the studies were directed toward vaccine research, mostly COVID-19 and HIV, the rest took aim at other directions. For instance, 19 of the grants went to cancer research, an area of RNA vaccine R&D that’s had an uptick in interest and advancements in recent years, led by major players like Regeneron and BioNTech.
One of the leading contenders, Moderna’s intismeran autogene, is being studied in combination with Merck’s Keytruda. In January, the companies released five-year data showing that the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% in patients with high-risk melanoma following complete resection.
Meanwhile, in the academic arena, NIH grants have helped researchers become “very, very productive,” which has had an impact beyond the lab, Chandrabhatla said.
“The grants we looked at resulted in over 2,300 peer review publications, have been cited almost 150,000 times, and span the spectrum of basic translational and clinical research,” he said. Thirty-five percent were cited in clinical trials or practice guidelines.
Additionally, 18 grants were awarded to 15 small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer mechanisms.
“It's not just large academic medical centers [or] even large, multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies … that are getting this funding,” Chandrabhatla said. “It's also the small biotech startups across the country who are relying on this funding to propagate the ideas that they have in their unique businesses.”
A fraught political landscape
Despite these advances, mRNA vaccines are still coming under fire. Earlier this year, the FDA declined to review Moderna’s application for its mRNA seasonal flu vaccine. Although the agency reversed eight days later, ongoing support from policymakers remains iffy. For example, four GOP candidates for Iowa governor have expressed support for an mRNA vaccine ban.
The broad policy environment has chilled drug development, too. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in January that the company would no longer invest in late-stage vaccine trials, and Sanofi has discontinued development of a next-generation mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, too.
The Trump administration has already demonstrated a willingness to slash research grants. And as the anti-mRNA rhetoric rises, scientific progress for many diseases could be in danger, the researchers say.
“If there's intense scrutiny and broad cuts to mRNA vaccines in general, without a more detailed nuanced understanding of what exactly is being cut, then we will fall behind on the progress we've made,” he said. “There needs to be more of a nuanced discussion. What downstream impact is that going to have on how we're progressing biomedical care in the U.S.?”
