In recent years, mRNA technology enabled the rapid development of vaccines to fight COVID-19, saving millions of lives.

That same mRNA-powered approach to medicine—in which synthetic mRNA is introduced into our cells and triggers an immune response—has enormous potential to produce treatments for a wide range of human illnesses and ailments, including cancer. Most recently, mRNA—short for messenger RNA—has shown tremendous promise in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in a phase 1 clinical trial.

"We're in a technological revolution in cancer research," says Elizabeth Jaffee, deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. "...If we can push this vaccine method forward, we will definitely have an impact on cancer that's going to be unexpected but almost miraculous over the next five to 10 years.

But potential cuts to federal funding for mRNA research and clinical trials threaten that progress.

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