A study conducted on a single patient supposedly proves, beyond any shadow of doubt, that mRNA vaccines modify human DNA, conspiracy theorists claim.
NEWS: In a stage-IV cancer patient, we identified a vaccine-derived Spike genetic sequence fused chimerically into chromosome 19, with a perfect 20/20 base-pair match — a one-in-a-trillion chance, says researcher Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, from the McCullough Foundation, quoted by Focal Points:
“In our peer-reviewed case report (recently published in the International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science) we describe the case of a previously healthy 31-year-old woman who developed rapidly advancing stage-IV bladder cancer within 12 months of completing a three-dose series of Moderna mRNA injections. Bladder cancer is extremely rare in young women, and such aggressive forms are almost unheard of.
To further investigate, we performed comprehensive multi-omic profiling, including plasma-derived circulating tumor DNA, whole-blood RNA, and urinary exosome proteomics. Our findings were astounding:
Although the patient had only received Moderna injections, the sequence aligned to the Pfizer BNT162b2 plasmid reference published by Pfizer, as Moderna never submitted its proprietary plasmid to the NCBI database. Crucially, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines encode the same pre-fusion–stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and therefore share identical nucleotide sequences in the Spike ORF coding region. The integration was captured in one of these conserved regions, producing a perfect 20/20 bp match with Pfizer’s reference sequence”.
NARRATIVE: The first evidence has emerged that mRNA vaccines modify human DNA.
PURPOSE: To promote conspiracy discourse. To undermine trust in the healthcare system and, by extension, in state authorities. To stir and amplify social unrest. To validate previously promoted conspiracy theories.
A study on a single patient is not a study
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The “study” referenced in the analyzed material is a paper authored by John A. Catanzaro, Nicolas Hulscher and Peter McCullough, titled “Genomic Integration and Molecular Dysregulation in Aggressive Stage IV Bladder Cancer Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination”. In plain language: the three authors claim that after genetically analyzing the tumor of a 31-year-old woman with stage-IV bladder cancer who had received three Moderna doses, they uncovered an RNA fragment identical to a portion of the vaccine’s mRNA (i.e., part of the genetic instructions for producing the Spike protein) within the DNA of a tumor cell. They further claim that this integration triggered genetic dysregulation, damaging genes involved in DNA repair and cell-division control, allegedly contributing to the cancer’s rapid progression.
The first red flag about scientific rigor is that the researchers compared the discovered sequence with Pfizer’s plasmid structure, despite clearly stating that the patient had been vaccinated with Moderna. And although the two vaccines operate on the same principle, it is unclear how similar (or ideally identical) their plasmid structures actually are. A second, even more important issue: according to every scientific standard, a “study” based on a single patient cannot prove a universal biological mechanism. If a phenomenon is real, it must be reproducible in multiple instances, in different labs, with similar results. So far, no independent researcher anywhere in the world has observed vaccine mRNA integrating into human DNA as claimed by the authors of this study, cited by antivaxxers. Even the dramatic claim of a “one-in-a-trillion” probability resembles poetic flourish rather than scientific evidence.
Furthermore, Catanzaro, Hulscher and McCullough do not specify the exact sequencing methods they used, the number of reads, whether results were replicated or whether negative controls were identified. Without methodological clarity, the result is at best “uncertain”, and other researchers cannot validate it. The fact that the authors themselves note the need for “orthogonal validation using long-read sequencing” strongly suggests that they themselves advise further validation of the findings.
Moreover, even if one day an mRNA sequence were shown to integrate into human DNA, that would still not prove that the vaccine caused cancer. Correlation is not tantamount to causation, according to scientific and critical thinking standards. More likely, the patient already had cancer, which means her DNA was already “disrupted” and unstable, increasing the likelihood of false reads. Also for this reason, the tumor accumulated spontaneous mutations and genomic chaos. The medical discovery might simply be a coincidence, that is if it occurred at all. Laboratory contamination or sequencing error also cannot be ruled out. Labs frequently use synthetic DNA and vaccine material. Even microscopic contamination is enough to cause false sequence detection in any sample analyzed. Geneticists report that such “ghost fragments” are common and carry no biological relevance.
Currently, dozens of studies show that injected mRNA does not integrate into the human genome under normal circumstances. It lacks the enzymes required for reverse transcription and integration. Even in cancer cells, this is highly unlikely: mRNA is designed to remain in the cytoplasm, produce spike protein and subsequently degrade rapidly. Theoretical discussions and exploratory studies have so far failed to demonstrate clinical evidence of mRNA genomic integration. One review paper states that “the current paradigm is that synthetic RNA cannot integrate into the genome”. Regulatory authorities and health organizations have issued warnings stating that some reports claiming the presence of excessive levels of residual DNA in mRNA vaccines are methodologically unconvincing and do not meet the necessary laboratory standards. For example, Australia’s TGA notes that such reports are “poorly prepared, unreliable” and generate confusion.
Since their introduction, mRNA vaccines have been studied by tens of thousands of scientists, yet no major health agency (WHO, EMA, FDA, NIH, etc.) has found any evidence that they integrate into human DNA. In science, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and this study provides none.
The “scientific rigor” of a pay-to-publish journal
BACKGROUND: False narratives concerning vaccine safety and their effects have circulated in Romania for many years, but they exploded after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. These narratives have multiple sources of origin. One is Russia, which seeks to destabilize Western societies. At the same time, many Western outlets and “influencers”, usually from the radical right and conspiratorial circles, also produce and amplify such disinformation theses. These are then picked up by local “influencers” or publications, reaching audiences vulnerable to conspiracy narratives: coronasceptics, antivaxxers, people distrustful of authorities, etc. In many countries, full-fledged antivaccine movements have taken shape, strongly influenced by these narratives, which they internalize and amplify.
In Romania, several conservative publications have picked up these false narratives, trying over the years to validate antivaccine theories by citing pseudo-experts, anonymous websites or misquoting studies. Veridica has already debunked numerous fake news and false narratives about COVID vaccines, claiming these allegedly cause sterility across three generations, mental illness, shortening men’s lives by 24 years or causing physical disabilities, testicular cancer, myocarditis and ultimately death.
The study cited in the analyzed article was initially published on the website of the International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science, a journal with a reputation that is “questionable” at best. Several scientists have raised concerns about how its editorial team selects “scientific” material for publication. Although it claims to use peer review (i.e. validated by independent researchers), in practice the authors often cross-review each other’s papers, also published in IJIRMS. Moreover, publication is allowed upon paying a fee (a hallmark of “vanity publishing”), which raises serious concerns about the study’s credibility. In general, papers published in IJIRMS are rarely, if ever, cited in studies pertaining to the same field. The paper examined here, despite being viewed 34,000 times and downloaded 27,000 times at the time of writing, has zero citations in any study related to COVID vaccines, bladder cancer, cancer in general or other related fields. The study is also available on Zenodo as a pre-print, meaning it is unclear whether it underwent any rigorous peer review by a recognized academic institution. In fact, Zenodo clearly states that “pre-prints are not peer-reviewed and should be considered preliminary until verified by several experts in the field. Therefore, their claims should not be treated as conclusive or reported by the media as factual, as their main theses could fail the fest of scientific proofing”.
Furthermore, at least two of the study’s authors, Nicolas Hulscher and Peter McCullough, are already well-known to Veridica readers for their hostility towards COVID vaccines. They have published multiple papers claiming links between mRNA vaccines and various adverse events, including death. Another of Hulscher’s studies, “A Systematic Review of Autopsies in Post-Vaccination Deaths”, was retracted from The Lancet’s preprint platform due to methodological flaws reported by physicians and experts in the field. His works are not published in reputable scientific journals and are not subject to peer-review. Moreover, they are frequently criticized by experts for the methodology employed for data interpretation, often biased and unclear.
As for Peter McCullough, notorious for promoting numerous fake news and false narratives tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, he appeared before a Texas Senate committee in March 2021 to defend himself against allegations of spreading misinformation. The American Board of Internal Medicine revoked his certification on grounds of professional misconduct. Over the years, McCullough has claimed the pandemic was planned, that the spike protein in vaccines kills human cells. In April 2021, four years before the publication of this study, he told an interview that anti-COVID vaccines kill hundreds of thousands of people.
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