TUCSON, Ariz., July 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A major reason for vaccine hesitancy is the belief that the COVID jabs might alter your genes. A recent article in Medscape addresses this concern: “Chance That COVID-19 Vaccines Are Gene Therapy? ‘Zero’.”
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) states that conclusions should be based on scientific evidence, not solely on expert opinion.
“Extensive research in ‘genetic engineering’ has led to dazzling achievements, but concerns about dangers were raised as early as the 1970s,” states AAPS executive director Jane Orient, M.D. “Renowned genetic researcher and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna discussed both promises and pitfalls in her popular 2017 book, A Crack in Creation.”
Currently all authorized COVID vaccines are products of genetic technology, which is poorly understood by the public. Therefore, to clarify the issues, AAPS proposes to examine the following questions concerning characteristics of these novel vaccines:
- Is the messenger RNA rapidly broken down and excreted, as Dr. Paul Offit states in Medscape? According to the European Medicines Agency, “No traditional pharmacokinetic or biodistribution studies have been performed with the [Pfizer] vaccine candidate BNT162b2.” A few studies of surrogate mRNA or of the novel lipids that accompany it have been done in rats or mice.
- Are the effects of the mRNA—which causes your cells to make spike protein—limited in quantity and restricted in distribution? The spike protein has reportedly been found circulating in the blood and accumulating in tissues, especially bone marrow and ovaries. Apparently, it may even cross the blood-brain barrier.
- Do spike proteins benignly attach to receptor sites and simply serve as “mug shots” for recognizing intruders, as Dr. Offit claims? Or do they by themselves cause damage and provoke inflammation and blood clotting, as others contend? Autopsies of patients who died post vaccination, or from placentas of mothers who miscarried, could help answer this question, AAPS proposes.
- Does genetic material from the vaccines get integrated into your DNA? Re-engineering DNA is the stated purpose of much defense department-funded research, and adenovirus vectors (like those in the J&J product) are commonly employed. RNA can also be used. Dr. Offit states that the COVID products lack what would be needed. However, Moderna’s chief medical officer, Tal Zaks, has described its vaccine as a “computer operating system.” One approach would be to examine whether tissues are making foreign products such as a light-emitting protein like luciferase, AAPS suggests.
The public could have much more confidence in public health institutions if these questions were addressed, states AAPS.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has represented physicians in all specialties since 1943. Its motto is omnia pro aegroto, everything for the patient.
Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com