Scientists question NIH’s $500M bet on old vaccine technology

Editor's Note

The NIH’s $500 million investment in developing whole killed virus vaccines has drawn criticism from vaccine experts who argue the platform is outdated and lacks transparency, according to a May 3 report in STAT.

As detailed in the article, scientists expressed concern that the project—led by NIH insiders Matthew Memoli and Jeffery Taubenberger—uses a 70-year-old approach .

The initiative, dubbed “Generation Gold Standard,” aims to develop a universal platform using whole inactivated viruses to protect against pandemic-prone pathogens such as influenza and coronaviruses. However, many scientists noted this method has largely been abandoned in favor of more advanced approaches, with one critic noting the approach was the method employed to develop the world’s first polio vaccine in the early 1950s. Another researcher quoted by STAT said the project is “not a eureka moment,” while others questioned whether it represents the best use of taxpayer funding.

The critics say modern, scalable technologies like mRNA offer faster production, greater adaptability, and fewer side effects, making them better suited for future pandemic threats. Some voiced concern that the new project may signal a political shift away from mRNA vaccines—long a target of anti-vaccine rhetoric—toward more traditional platforms.

Concerns extend beyond the science. Because the project was initiated by in-house NIH scientists, it did not undergo the traditional peer-review process typically required for NIH-funded research, STAT reports. Data from an early-phase trial of the NIH group’s universal flu vaccine—targeting only four subtypes of influenza—also underwhelmed reviewers, although one expert cautions against drawing strong conclusions from a small-sample study focused more on safety than immunogenicity.

The article also reveals that funding for the project was reallocated from BARDA’s Project NextGen, which was intended to support advanced Covid countermeasures. Some biotech firms previously funded through that program have been notified their grants are being cut.

The full report offers additional context, including the project’s funding, background on vaccine development, and more detailed commentary from researchers and health officials.