As Moderna expands its mRNA vaccine pipeline to target Epstein-Barr, shingles, cancer and autoimmune diseases, scientists warn the company’s COVID-19 shots may be suppressing immune function, reactivating latent viruses and potentially causing the very conditions their new products aim to prevent
During its Vaccines Day Event for investors on March 28, Moderna announced progress on multiple mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutic candidates in its “pipeline.”
Three vaccines targeting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Varicella-zoster virus (VZV, chickenpox and shingles) and Norovirus are advancing to “pivotal late-stage development,” the company said.
Moderna also announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine mRNA-1345 for older adults. This is part of an expected $52 billion market for Moderna’s infectious disease vaccines.
“We continue to explore the application of mRNA in the potential treatment of cardiovascular and other ischemic vascular diseases,” Moderna’s website states in its product plans for therapeutic areas.
The company also is developing mRNA solutions for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Citing the well-documented and often serious adverse reactions to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, some scientists and doctors said they are concerned about the dangers of existing and new mRNA formulations.
They also question whether Moderna is attempting to profit from solutions for diseases its products are causing.
Blocking the ‘foot soldiers of the immune system’
Synthetic-modified RNA (modRNA) in the cells suppresses innate immunity that keeps latent viruses at bay and protects against new infections, according toBrian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Children’s Health Defense.
“One of the mechanisms involves microRNAs that suppress the production of cellular interferon, which is extremely important for attack against viral infections as well as tumor suppression,” Hooker told The Defender.
Hooker pointed to the June 2022 paper by Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., Dr. Peter McCullough and others that explored innate immune suppression by mRNA vaccines.
The authors proposed that vaccine-induced interferon suppression blocks the proper functioning of CD8+ T cells — often called the foot soldiers of the immune system — allowing dormant viruses to reactivate and, in the case of VZV, to cause shingles, the “adult” version of chickenpox.
A 2021 paper reported 54 cases of herpes zoster (shingles) emerging an average of 7 days after COVID-19 vaccination. A 2022 paper reported 10 cases of herpes zoster reactivation within one to three weeks after COVID-19 vaccination.
Yet the authors of both papers claimed a definitive link between the vaccines and the symptoms could not be established.
Read More: Moderna Developing mRNA Vaccines for Diseases Linked to COVID Shots