It looks like the scientists at Moderna are warning people about the mRNA vaccines. Check out the latest details about this below.
Moderna reveals warning about vaccines
Scientists working at Moderna have stated in a new paper that the technology used in their COVID-19 vaccine carries risks of toxicity. These risks are associated with the use of modified messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, which is delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNP).
The paper, published by Nature Reviews Drug Discovery on Jan. 23, highlights the need to efficiently de-risk these potential toxicities.
The toxicity risks include “lipid nanoparticle structural components, production methods, route of administration and proteins produced from complexed mRNAs,” the authors of the paper wrote.
The paper’s authors consist of Moderna employees Eric Jacquinet and Dimitrios Bitounis, along with Maximillian Rogers, who worked at Moderna during the paper’s completion.
Moderna has not yet responded to a request for comment. It is known that mRNA vaccines have multiple side effects, including heart inflammation and severe allergic shock.
These reactions may be triggered by hypersensitivity reactions, which can be caused by any LNP-mRNA component. However, the most potentially reactogenic component is PEGylated lipid nanoparticles, according to the scientists.
The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines contain an ingredient called Polyethylene glycol (PEG) that is known to cause allergic reactions.
There is a debate among scientists regarding the mechanism behind the heart inflammation that has been reported in some individuals who received these vaccines.
Pfizer has suggested that the issue might be related to the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used to deliver the mRNA. A new study has been published that references previous publications and data, but no new experiments were conducted.
Some of the cited papers report the presence of mRNA and spike protein from Moderna’s vaccine in different parts of the human body weeks or months after vaccination, which contradicts earlier claims from health officials that these materials would exit the body within days.
The scientists said that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is “safe and effective” and hailed the development of an updated vaccine as “[demonstrating] the rapid timeline for modifications with mRNA technology in the clinic.” Due to the “transient nature of mRNA,” however, “repeat administration may be necessary,” they said.
