The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will launch a clinical research program and dedicated center to study individuals who were harmed by vaccines, including COVID-19 shots. Officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discussed establishing the research center at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, with the program potentially beginning as early as mid-October. The NIH Clinical Center was initially proposed in the 2025 White House Make America Healthy Again Commission report.1
The NIH, which falls under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., also reportedly plans to fund outside researchers to study adverse effects of vaccines, drawing from existing studies of individuals with vaccine-related injury or illnesses. The original 2025 MAHA proposal stated:
NIH will investigate vaccine injuries with improved data collection and analysis, including through a new vaccine injury research program at the NIH Clinical Center that may expand to centers around the country.1
Acquisition of More Vaccine Safety Data Long Overdue
Some researchers have welcomed the initiative, viewing it as an opportunity to examine questions surrounding vaccine safety that they say have received limited attention. Critics have also pointed to the absence of randomized clinical trials comparing the full recommended childhood vaccine schedule with an inert placebo—a longstanding concern raised by some parents and vaccine safety advocates.
“In my opinion, it should have happened a long time ago,” said retired physician Danice Hertz, MD, who became a patient advocate after developing chronic side effects following the COVID biologic.1
A randomized trial comparing the full combined vaccine schedule against an inert placebo has never been done—a concern many parents have cited.
Still others warn that program could be easily politicized or contribute to “anti-vaccine propaganda”, said Kathryn Edwards, MD, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt University.1
Science reported that its journalists reviewed a slide presentation prepared for an NIAID committee that focused extensively on adverse reactions following COVID shots. However, NIH employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the research project is expected to include individuals who experienced adverse reactions following other vaccines as well. The presentation outlined a study called the “Multisystem Outcomes and Symptoms After Immunizations Cohort Study” (MOSAIC), which will collect clinical and genomic data from participants who develop symptoms following vaccination.1
Unknown Effects of Spike Proteins Linger
Dr. Hertz hopes the research can answer questions that many have had about mRNA vaccines in particular, such as where the mRNA encoding spike protein goes in the body, how long cells continue to produce spike proteins, and the specific effects on human physiology.1
As questions remain about the safety and long-term effects of mRNA technology and the role of spike proteins in COVID shots, pharmaceutical companies are continuing to expand the use of mRNA technology into other areas, including cancer and influenza vaccines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved mFluvisia, the nation’s first mRNA-based influenza vaccine, developed by Moderna.2
RFK Advances Comprehensive Data on Vaccine Safety
Secretary Kennedy has been calling for greater transparency and more comprehensive safety data on vaccines. Since taking office, he has pursued changes to federal vaccine policy and oversight, including replacing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), reducing the CDC’s recommended childhood immunization schedule, and removing members of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccination.
In a recent keynote address, Kennedy stated:
We have not taken vaccines away from anybody. We have preserved access. But we have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years.3
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Click here to view References:1 Reardon S. Exclusive: New NIH research center on vaccine harm takes shape. Science Sept. 15, 2026.
2 Lovelace B. The first mRNA flu shot is now available. Here’s who can get it. NBC News Sept. 18, 2026.
3 Hussein F, Stobbe M. Kennedy tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump’s White House. AP News Sept. 18, 2026.
One Response
It’s about damned time someone did objective research on this! If they can find the genes that make some people susceptible to adverse reactions, sometimes with fatal or lifelong disabling effects, it would be more than wonderful if they could screen people, especially the innocent children who are at the mercy of adults, before they receive all these bloody shots! Then the uproar about vaccines can stop, people who are not at risk can get vaccinated as much as they want, AND the vulnerable can be protected. GOD BLESS YOU!!!