# Moderna, the covid-19 shot maker, has had plans for next-generation mRNA vaccines against flus and emerging pathogens dashed by vaccine skeptics in the federal.

*biotech · news · 2026-04-10 · MIT Technology Review*

## Key points

- Moderna rebranded its cancer vaccine as 'individualized neoantigen therapy' in 2023 after partnering with Merck.
- The rebranding aims to distance the treatment from vaccine skepticism among US officials and regulators.
- Federal agencies under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled Moderna's $776 million bird flu vaccine contract.
- Moderna and Merck's mRNA cancer shot halved recurrence risk in deadly skin cancer patients after surgery.
- BioNTech has also shifted its language from 'neoantigen vaccine' to 'mRNA cancer immunotherapies' recently.

**Companies:** Moderna, Merck
**Countries:** United States

[Read the full story on MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/10/1135631/whats-in-a-name-modernas-vaccine-vs-therapy-dilemma/)

---

Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/fccd18b4-fa85-4288-8730-db23ed6cc252/moderna-the-covid-19-shot-maker-has-had-plans-for-next-generation-mrna-vaccines
Summarized by Newsio from MIT Technology Review. https://newsio.io/how-it-works