TUSCON, Ariz., March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The mechanism of action of mRNA vaccines goes far beyond harnessing host cellular machinery to produce antigenic proteins to spur immunity, write Nicolas Hulscher, M.P.H., Peter A. McCullough, M.D., M.P.H., and John A. Catanzaro, N.D., Ph.D., in the spring issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. The expression of genes is a complex, multi-layered process.
In co-opting host ribosomes for antigen synthesis, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines engage cellular translation and regulatory pathways in ways that can lead to unintended gene expression aberrations, the authors explain.
A study of the peripheral blood of individuals experiencing vaccine adverse events compared with normals uncovered patterns of “transcriptomic upheaval,” the authors write. The transcriptome the complete collection of RNA transcripts—including mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, and non-coding RNA—that is produced by the genome at any given time. The genome is not static. It is dynamic, reflecting which genes are active or turned off. The results showed transcriptomic signatures indicative of “systemic shifts in gene regulation, including coordinated activation of cellular stress responses and metabolic reprogramming pathways.”
The authors conclude that mRNA vaccines “induce a gene-altering [mode of action], reprogramming host expression programs” that go far beyond inflammatory responses to Spike protein. Effects include disruptions in carbohydrate metabolism, cofactor and vitamin pathways, and endocrine signaling.
A case report of a 31-year-old woman who developed aggressive stage IV bladder cancer within 12 months of her mRNA vaccine series showed transcriptional reprogramming consistent with malignant transformation, the authors report.
Proving safety, the authors conclude, requires sophisticated “molecular surveillance, enforceable safety gates, and embedded biological circuit breakers to halt aberrant gene expression.” Without these, “platforms such as mRNA vaccines remain inherently dangerous to humans. Immediate and comprehensive suspension of human use is therefore required.”
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943.
Contact: Nicolas Hulscher at nichulscher@gmail.com or Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com
