Moderna/Merck Personalized mRNA Melanoma Cancer Shot Uses AI-Generated Design
A personalized mRNA melanoma cancer shot developed by Moderna and Merck using an AI generated design has met the primary endpoint in a late-stage phase 3 clinical trial.1 In August, the two pharmaceutical giants reported that, when combined with an existing treatment, the vaccine reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading. Cancer experts are enthusiastic […]
Kindergarten Vaccine Exemptions in U.S. Increase, But Vaccine Uptake Rates Decline Only Slightly
The percentage of children entering kindergarten with exemptions from required vaccines increased during the 2025-2026 school year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but vaccine uptake rates for children only declined slightly. The national vaccine exemption rate rose to 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent last year. The […]
Despite Safety Concerns, FDA Approves Moderna’s mRNA Flu Shot
On Aug. 5, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Moderna’s seasonal flu shot, mFLUSIVA (mRNA-1010), making it the first messenger RNA platform for seasonal influenza in the United States. The decision permits health care providers to use mRNA technology for annual influenza vaccination in eligible age groups.1 FDA regulators approved mFLUSIVA to […]
Live Experimental Pneumonic Plague Vaccines Being Developed After Repeated Attempts
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) researchers have developed live attenuated experimental pneumonic plague vaccines that, according to a July 28, 2026 press release, fully protected mice in a preclinical study. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine and, according to UTMB researchers, “challenge decades of assumptions about how immunity to plague works and […]
CDC Just Awarded Pfizer $1.2 Billion for COVID-19 Shots
U.S. federal procurement records published in June 2026 show that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Pfizer more than $1.24 billion in contracts for adult and pediatric mRNA COVID-19 shots for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The contracts, which were published on SAM.gov and contained more money allocated for pediatric COVID […]
Mussel Protein Used to Develop New Vaccine Technology
Scientists in South Korea have developed a new adhesive adjuvant protein-based nanoparticle vaccine technology that they believe may provide longer-lasting immunity with a single injection. According to the researchers in a study published in the journal Biomaterials in 2026, the new approach used bioengineering, gene synthesis and cloning to create a new vaccine technology using […]