US Military Continues Funding mRNA Research Despite RFK Jr.’s Halt to BARDA Projects
WASHINGTON – despite recent cancellations of mRNA research projects by Robert F. Kennedy jr., the newly appointed head of BARDA, the Department of Defense (DoD) is continuing to fund mRNA vaccine development, including initiatives targeting avian influenza and Marburg virus. The shift in funding comes after a 5 August notice detailing cuts and a ”restructuring of collaborations” within joint projects between the DoD’s joint Project Executive Office (JPEO) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Apparent cuts have impacted early-stage vaccine development.Gregg Berglund, CEO of GeoVax Labs, whose work was co-funded by the JPEO, stated the DoD funding is “less than what had originally been pledged” but “at least now, we can advance it through phase I.”
AstraZeneca is currently conducting human trials of two mRNA vaccines designed to protect against different strains of avian influenza, with both BARDA and the JPEO still listed as collaborators on clinical-trial registries. An AstraZeneca spokesperson declined to comment on the US government’s funding role in the trial, which addresses a strain infecting US poultry and dairy cattle and raising concerns about potential human transmission. The JPEO did not respond to requests for comment.
The JPEO and BARDA were also jointly funding a preclinical vaccine program for Moderna, targeting Marburg virus – a highly lethal relative of Ebola - which caused a recent outbreak in Tanzania resulting in ten deaths. Moderna and the University of Texas Medical Branch, collaborators on the project, did not respond to inquiries regarding its funding status.
in a statement, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard asserted that BARDA is “prioritizing evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions” and disputed suggestions that withdrawing from joint projects would weaken pandemic preparedness.
