BioWorld’s 2022 end-of-year highlights included a toast to the future – of universal vaccines. Even before SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were developed in record time and saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines were a rare bright spot in the fight against infectious diseases. Bacteria are becoming multidrug resistant far faster than new classes of antibiotics are being developed, viral spillover events and vector ranges are increasing, and climate change is helping bacteria and fungi alike breach human thermal protections against infections.

A consortium including Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), International Vaccine Institute (IVI), ST Pharm Co. Ltd. and Seoul National University (SNU) is joining forces with CEPI to advance a new AI-designed mRNA vaccine to protect against tick-borne severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, or Dabie bandavirus. CEPI is providing up to US$16 million to the project, led by IVI, to test the vaccine’s safety and ability to generate a suitable immune response in healthy adults in preclinical and phase I/II trials in Korea.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and collaborating institutions in the U.S. have developed a novel approach using allergen-encoding mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for both therapy and prevention of allergic responses.

GC Biopharma Corp. has filed an IND application with the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for a phase I trial of GC-4006A, an mRNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

When Robert Kennedy Jr. announced the cancellation of 22 projects related to mRNA vaccines and the end of new investments in that technology, the U.S. Secretary of Health only mentioned their use against respiratory viruses, without referring to other applications. The vaccines whose safety and effectiveness Kennedy is questioning are based on the same molecular principles as cancer vaccines under development. “Continued investment in mRNA technology is essential to fully realize its potential in oncology and ensure that promising strategies like neoantigen-based vaccines reach clinical application.” Kazuhiro Kakimi, professor at the Department of Immunology at Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, told BioWorld.

An ongoing concern for scientists is that there will be across-the-board funding cuts. This is already happening in mRNA research, where reductions affected coronavirus-related projects. During the pandemic, efforts focused on this pathogen, and once the health emergency was over, grants for antivirals were eliminated. However, these drugs could stem future outbreaks. Despite the cuts, recent research continues to demonstrate the potential of mRNA, not only for the development of antivirals, but also for obtaining more effective and longer-lasting vaccines.

In August, a press release from HHS announced the cancellation of 22 vaccine research projects based on mRNA, the latest available technology aimed at developing therapies for viral infections, cancer, and genetic conditions. What happens to mRNA innovation when funding dries up? This series explores how reductions in funding could impact mRNA technology, affecting innovation, research and future therapies.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) secured 5.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE and Moderna Inc., officially including the mRNA-based vaccines in the country’s national immunization program on Aug. 5.