Zagotta: Trump may ultimately cure cancer
The groundbreaking mRNA technology that played a pivotal role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic is now being explored as a potential game-changer in the fight against cancer, a development made possible by President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed. Recent findings from researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Florida reveal that lung and skin cancer patients who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in conjunction with standard immunotherapy experienced nearly double the survival rates compared to those who received only immunotherapy. This remarkable outcome suggests that mRNA vaccines may effectively “retrain” the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells, marking a significant step toward the possibility of a universal cancer vaccine.
Operation Warp Speed not only expedited the development of COVID-19 vaccines in an unprecedented seven months but also catalyzed a surge of investment in mRNA research, which had previously struggled to secure funding. With over 120 clinical trials currently investigating the use of mRNA technology for various cancers, early results indicate promising reductions in relapse rates for melanoma and significant tumor shrinkage in pancreatic cancer patients. This evolution from a pandemic response to a revolutionary approach in oncology highlights the transformative potential of mRNA technology in medicine. However, this progress faces threats from recent policy decisions, particularly under the Biden administration, which have raised concerns about the future of cancer research funding and drug development.
Despite President Biden’s ambitious Cancer Moonshot initiative aimed at advancing cancer treatment and prevention, the administration’s policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, have imposed drug price controls that may deter investment in long-term cancer research. The impact of these policies is already visible, as there has been a notable decline in post-approval clinical trials for new cancer therapies since the Act’s implementation. Further complicating matters, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced cuts of nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts, jeopardizing the momentum gained in cancer treatment advancements. As the potential of mRNA technology becomes clearer, it is crucial for future administrations to prioritize funding and support for this innovative research, ensuring that the momentum built during Operation Warp Speed continues to yield breakthroughs in the fight against cancer.
The mRNA technology that helped end the COVID-19 pandemic may now hold the key to defeating cancer, and it exists because of President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.
Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Florida recently reported that lung and skin cancer patients who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines alongside standard immunotherapy lived nearly twice as long as those who received immunotherapy alone. The vaccines appeared to “retrain” patients’ immune systems to recognize and attack tumors, a finding some scientists are calling the first step toward a universal cancer vaccine.
If a cancer vaccine ultimately succeeds, we’ll have Trump to thank. During his term, scientists, manufacturers and regulators worked to deliver mRNA vaccines in seven months, saving millions of lives and $1 trillion in healthcare costs.
Operation Warp Speed proved that when the government clears red tape and partners with industry, breakthroughs arrive at a record pace.
For decades, researchers had explored messenger RNA as a possible tool against cancer, but few investors were willing to bet on it. After Operation Warp Speed, that changed, and millions in private capital poured into mRNA research.
Today, more than 120 mRNA clinical trials are underway for multiple types of cancer. Early studies show mRNA vaccines can reduce relapse rates in melanoma patients and shrink pancreatic tumors.
What started as a race to stop COVID-19 has become a revolution in medicine. Yet, mRNA’s potential is under threat, not from Trump but from previous policies and recent actions by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
President Biden promised to “end cancer as we know it” through his Cancer Moonshot, an initiative to speed up progress in cancer prevention, detection and treatment. In practice, the administration pursued policies that undermined this goal. The Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature domestic achievement, imposed government price controls on drugs for the first time, discouraging the long-term investment and risk-taking required to develop new cures.
That’s especially damaging in cancer research, where drug development timelines can stretch well over a decade and depend on multiple rounds of follow-on research. Industry data already shows a sharp decline in post-approval clinical trials to explore new uses for cancer medicines since the IRA took effect, as companies shelve projects unlikely to recover their costs under government-imposed pricing.
Now, inexplicably, HHS is making decisions that would compound the harm. HHS secretary Kennedy recently cut nearly $500 million in contracts for mRNA vaccine research, just as the technology’s extraordinary potential for cancer treatment is coming into view.
The second Trump administration would be wise to build on the successes of the first by funding mRNA research and streamlining the drug approval process so that American companies can develop the next generation of treatments and cures as quickly as possible.
Anthony J. Zagotta is the president of the Center for American Principles/InsideSources
