New mRNA vaccines could be a critical tool to fight cancer. But their future is up in the air

NewsHealthNew mRNA vaccines could be a critical tool to fight cancer. But their future is up in the airMore than 626,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer this yearJulia Musto in New york Tuesday 21 April 2026 21:34 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2962049","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/mrna-cancer-vaccine-funding-rfk-jr-b2962049.html","title":"mRNA vaccines could be critical to fight cancer. Their future is up in the air"}}CloseCancer vaccines: the next frontierSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in healthGet our free Health Check emailGet our free Health Check emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Health_Newsletter","regTitle":"Health Check","subscriptionGroup":"health","subscriptionGroupId":"a476a40b-80d6-475e-83ee-36e2c8c6dcb9","type":"health","pathPrefix":["/news/health","/news/science"],"associatedAuthors":["Rebecca Thomas"],"title":"Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health","mobileTitle":"Get our free Health Check email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/healthCheck1_1.png","description":"Behind the headline review on the week in health","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveIndyHealthNews","regSourceSection":"Health","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}Physicians have been working to treat and study cancer since the days of ancient Egypt. More than 5,000 years later, major progress has...