The United States is by far the world's biggest funder of cancer research mostly through its National Cancer Institute. But since Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has cancelled hundreds of grants for cancer research projects. He's slashing billions of dollars from the National Cancer Institute's budget. He's even ordered a review of all grants for research involving supposedly woke' keywords including the word women'.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said other countries with active biotechnology industries will benefit, but the decision will still delay the development of new vaccines worldwide. "Progress will continue but not as quickly as otherwise. Lives will be lost that could have been saved had there been a vaccine," he told Times Higher Education.
US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr defiantly defended his controversial actions to upend public health at a Senate hearing on 4 September. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, also made unfounded allegations about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and accused the medical establishment of corruption. What was supposed to be a routine hearing about the health care agenda of Republican President Donald Trump was anything but.
Perhaps most damningly, the younger Kennedy has elected to " wind down" the development of mRNA vaccines and cancel $500 million in research contracts because of his vaccine skepticism, particularly as it relates to COVID-19 vaccines. Along with its incredible efficacy at staving off further death from the coronavirus pandemic, researchers working with mRNA believe they may be close to achieving a monumental milestone: creating a universal cancer vaccine using the promising biotechnology.
