Mount Sinai received a five-year, $20.7 million agreement to develop the VITAL vaccine platform, starting with an intranasal H5N1 mRNA prototype aimed at targeting respiratory immune cells. The award signals continued institutional investment in delivery and tissue-targeted vaccine design beyond conventional intramuscular approaches. For respiratory vaccine developers, it also underscores how intranasal mRNA strategies are being positioned as platform capabilities for future strain updates and rapid escalation during outbreaks.