After a year of turmoil, cancer researchers see promising signs for mRNA vaccines
After a Year of Turmoil, Cancer Researchers Spot Encouraging Momentum in mRNA Vaccines
Editor’s Note
This piece was developed in partnership with the Global Health Reporting Center, backed by the Pulitzer Center. It highlights the evolving landscape of mRNA vaccine technology in oncology.
On a Saturday in March 2020, Vita Sara Blechner’s life took an unexpected turn. A middle school librarian in Oceanside, New York, she experienced sharp pains in her back. After an acid reflux tablet failed to ease the discomfort, her husband urged a visit to the emergency room. The date, March 7, was just days before the pandemic would overwhelm New York City’s healthcare system. Doctors, calm and methodical, conducted a sonogram and CT scan, but the results shattered her sense of security. “They told me I had a tumor on my pancreas. I replied, ‘No, this can’t be happening to me. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I’m living healthily.’”
“They said I have a tumor on my pancreas. And I said, ‘No, it can’t be. This can’t be happening to me. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I’m leading a healthy life.’”
Blechner faced a grim prognosis. Pancreatic cancer is notoriously aggressive, with only 1 in 4 patients surviving past their first year and fewer than 1 in 10 living beyond two years. As she, her husband, and their three adult sons deliberated over treatment options, they chose a path into cutting-edge cancer research. The field has long been captivated by mRNA technology, a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic instructions from DNA to produce proteins. While many associate it with the COVID-19 vaccines, its potential in oncology was already being explored for nearly a decade before the pandemic.
Germany’s BioNTech, which later co-created the Pfizer vaccine, had been pioneering mRNA-based cancer therapies. The success of the coronavirus vaccines, however, sparked a surge in political resistance, threatening to stall funding for other potential treatments. Despite this, the past year has shown resilience in the mRNA vaccine arena. “It’s thrilling,” said Elizabeth Jaffee, deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. “We’ve seen positive outcomes in early-stage trials.”
“There’s been a number of successes in early-stage, positive trials.”
Dr. Catherine Wu, a professor at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, noted that real-world evidence of mRNA’s effectiveness has bolstered support from the National Cancer Institute. “The NCI is now investing $200 million specifically in novel vaccine development, with mRNA as a central focus,” she explained. This funding reflects a renewed commitment to advancing the technology, which has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment.
Blechner’s treatment plan involved specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, including Dr. Vinod Balachandran, head of MSK’s Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines. He emphasized the complexity of designing a cancer vaccine. “Our immune system is trained to detect viruses as foreign, so a vaccine teaches it what it already knows. Cancer, however, originates from our own cells, making it a more intricate challenge,” Balachandran stated.
“That’s because our body’s immune systems are hard-wired to recognize viruses and pathogens as foreign, so a vaccine is teaching our body to do something it already wants to do. In contrast, cancer is ourselves. It’s derived from our own tissues.”
Balachandran’s research over two decades has centered on pancreatic tumors, which have proven particularly resistant to conventional therapies. “It’s a cancer where little had worked before,” he said. When Blechner joined the trial, the study was in its early stages, combining an experimental mRNA vaccine with standard immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Balachandran believed success here could serve as a blueprint for other cancers. “If we can overcome the toughest cases, it might unlock solutions for the rest,” he remarked.
Key to his approach were “super-survivors”—a small fraction of patients who lived more than five years post-diagnosis. By analyzing their immune responses, Balachandran identified patterns that could guide the vaccine’s design. These insights, he argued, could shift the paradigm in cancer treatment, offering hope for a future where mRNA vaccines become a standard tool in the fight against disease.
