Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have proposed a new RNA-based vaccine that they say could provide protection for infants against both Covid-19 and flu with just one dose.
Despite warnings that the untested technology could lead to breakthrough infections, higher mortality rates and potential brain toxicity in babies, researchers are pitching the new vaccine that, according to Forbes, could give infants long-lasting protection with a single “one-and-done” shot”
They hope this may even lead to a “universal vaccine.”
The Defender reports: The research article, published on April 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS) by scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), described how a single dose of a vaccine using “small interfering RNA” (siRNA) molecules demonstrated a “rapid and long-lasting protective immunity” against a lethal virus challenge in immune-deficient mice.
The researchers proposed that an siRNA-based flu vaccine could protect infants without relying on maternal antibodies, according to a UCR press release.
They are considering a nasal spray delivery method instead of the typical intramuscular shot, as “respiratory infections move through the nose, so a spray might be an easier delivery system.”
Experts who spoke with The Defender raised concerns about the lack of human trials and the novel technology’s safety and long-term effects on vulnerable populations.
“The level of foolishness here is unprecedented,” said Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Children’s Health Defense. “The immune systems of infants simply cannot tolerate this type of infective agent,” he said. “It will lead to breakthrough infections and higher levels of mortality.”
What is siRNA?
The science of siRNA, which has been in development since the late 1990s, differs significantly from traditional vaccine methods, which typically use inactivated bits of viruses to stimulate the immune system and confer immunity.
It also differs from modified-RNA or mRNA vaccine technology used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which hijack the body’s cellular machinery and cause it to create the spike protein, purportedly to induce an immune response. Instead, siRNA works by interfering with the natural messenger RNA of replicating viruses, effectively disabling them.
Small interfering RNA or siRNA is a type of RNA molecule that plays a key role in a cellular process called RNA interference (RNAi).
RNAi is a natural mechanism used by cells to regulate gene expression and defend against viral infections. The short, double-stranded siRNA molecules can bind to complementary sequences on messenger RNA (mRNA) and target them for degradation.
By selectively destroying specific natural messenger RNA (mRNA), siRNA can effectively “silence” the expression of corresponding genes. This ability to knock down disease-causing genes makes siRNA a promising tool for developing targeted therapies for conditions such as cancer, viral infections and genetic disorders.
“The siRNA molecules, carried and delivered by nanocarriers, have been explored in the treatments of cancer,” explained Dr. Michelle Perro, an integrative medicine pediatrician and author of “What’s Making Our Children Sick?” “Even in the cancer arena, there are still many hurdles in their employment,” she said.
The siRNA drug patisiran, a treatment for polyneuropathy, uses lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as the nanocarrier. LNPs have already proven toxic in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, accumulating in the ovaries, liver, spleen, adrenal glands, bone marrow and other organs.
However, the authors of the PNAS article did not indicate whether their research vaccine contained LNPs. The Defender did not receive a response to our requests for more information by the time this article was published.
