“The Trump administration, which has been skeptical of vaccines that prevent infections, is going all in on a new initiative to deploy novel vaccines against cancer.
The Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Cancer Institute, has initiated a potential $200 million public-private partnership to fund clinical trials of vaccines that spark an immune attack on tumors. These vaccines may ward off cancer in patients who have been treated for the disease, but are at high risk for recurrence.
Dr. Anthony Letai, who became NCI director in September, said he wants to finance larger trials of vaccines that in smaller studies have shown potential to keep aggressive cancers at bay.
"What's exciting about this is that there are early signals from clinical trials that we can actually have an impact even in some very difficult settings where we have very little to offer patients," he said.
Instead of protecting against infection, these vaccines train the immune system to fight tumors. And unlike flu or Covid shots, which are injected into healthy people, these vaccines would be used in patients who have been treated for cancer.
The partnership expects to fund various types of vaccines, including those based on messenger RNA.
Last year, HHS terminated mRNA vaccine programs under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, saying these vaccines failed to protect effectively against upper-respiratory infections.
HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in January cut the number of infectious-disease vaccines recommended for all children to 11 from 17.
Last year, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of a committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines. Several replacement members have a record of skepticism about vaccines.
"Our vaccine policies are grounded in evidence and transparency," HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said. "Under this administration, HHS is not beholden to the pharmaceutical industry."
A federal judge Monday blocked the administration from implementing the pared-down list of recommended childhood vaccines and said the government improperly replaced the committee members.
Cancer vaccines have long tantalized and frustrated researchers. Despite decades of research, only a handful have been approved to treat or prevent the disease. Officials hope to kick-start the field and encourage more venture-capital and other private-sector investment.
Growing understanding of the immune system and its interaction with tumors is fueling hope that vaccines can keep aggressive tumors from returning.
Advances in genomics, for example, enable researchers to spot targets on tumor cells and create vaccines that trigger an immune response in individual patients, said Dr. Catherine Wu, chief of the division of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.” [1]
1. U.S. News: HHS Is Turning to Vaccines To Fight Aggressive Cancers. Gormley, Brian. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 18 Mar 2026: A3.
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