No, Moderna didn't 'confirm' mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer

What is the claim?

Social media posts claim pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna has "confirmed" mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, citing an article with a headline to that effect.

Archived versions of such posts are here, here, and here.

Screenshots of some of the social media posts. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. Moderna has not said this, and there is no scientific evidence to prove it. 

The article stems from misleading statements given by Dr. Robert Malone, known for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

The origin of the claim

The screenshot was from an article published by The Expose, a website known for spreading misinformation. Logically Facts has fact-checked its articles several times. 

The report cited statements by Dr. Malone during a hearing (archived here) live-streamed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on November 13, 2023, called Injuries Caused By COVID-19 Vaccines. 

Malone is a medical doctor and an infectious disease researcher who claims to have invented mRNA technology. He is known for spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

Malone referred to a Moderna patent application stating that RNA vaccines are superior and that DNA vaccines have potential problems. He further claimed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it is unaware of any concerns, but Moderna's patent outlines the same DNA-related issues.

What did Moderna say?

Moderna uses mRNA (messenger RNA) technology in its COVID-19 vaccines. The mRNA vaccines work by sending a message to a person's cells or teaching the cells how to make a protein that may help trigger an immune response. 

DNA and mRNA vaccines are genetic vaccines, and they have advantages over traditional vaccines using weakened pathogens. While DNA vaccines require an electrical impulse to push the genetic message into the cell, mRNA teaches cells how to make a protein. 

We looked at the Moderna patent application. A part reads, "The direct injection of genetically engineered DNA (e.g., naked plasmid DNA) into a living host results in a small number of its cells directly producing an antigen, resulting in a protective immunological response. With this technique, however, comes potential problems, including the possibility of insertional mutagenesis, which could lead to the activation of oncogenes or the inhibition of tumor suppressor genes." 

When activated or overexpressed, oncogenes can cause cancer, while tumor suppressor genes help prevent tumor formation by regulating cell growth. Insertional mutagenesis is a phenomenon by which a foreign DNA sequence integrates within the genome of a host organism. If insertional mutagenesis inhibits these genes, it may lead to uncontrolled cell growth and increased cancer risk. While the phenomenon is widely studied, it is not likely to cause any harm because DNA from the vaccine cannot incorporate itself into cellular DNA.

As noted by the FDA, minute amounts of DNA can remain in mRNA vaccines as remnants of the manufacturing process. However, there are limits set by the World Health Organization, FDA, and European Pharmacopoeia on the permissible amounts of DNA fragments to ensure the amount of DNA left over in medicines remains below particular levels.

Further, the Moderna patent application highlights potential issues over inserting new DNA into a cell. It did not talk about mRNA vaccines or say the residual DNA in the vaccines can cause cancer or tumors. 

We found no credible evidence or statement from Moderna about them admitting their vaccines can cause cancer.

Are there risks posed by the residual DNA?

The U.S. FDA has acknowledged the presence of residual DNA in vaccines and stated, "There are internationally agreed-upon recommendations for the quantity of residual DNA present in all biological products, including mRNA vaccines," adding no safety issues related to residual DNA in mRNA COVID vaccines have been identified. 

Data from the administration of mRNA vaccines has shown that "there is nothing to indicate harm to the genome, such as increased rates of cancers," wrote Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. 

Dr. Paul Offit, an American pediatrician and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, explained in a video (archived here) that DNA fragments in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cannot cause harm such as cancers or autoimmune diseases because of three protective mechanisms in our cells that DNA fragments from mRNA vaccines cannot overcome.

"So, it's impossible; it's virtually impossible for these DNA fragments to do any harm. They are clinically and utterly harmless," he said.

Virologist Shahid Jameel explained to Logically Facts, "Some experiments in cultured cells have shown this phenomenon. But so far, I am not aware of any results from people who have been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. This includes about 650 million people in the USA and about 830 million in the EU. On the other hand, COVID-19 vaccines (the mRNA vaccines included) are estimated to have saved about 20 million lives in just the first year of their use." 

He added, "This remains a hypothesis that has not been proven. That is why the patent refers to a 'potential risk.'"

A spokesperson for the FDA told Logically Facts in a statement, "With over a billion doses of the mRNA vaccines administered and following a very careful review of all the available scientific evidence, the FDA has not identified safety concerns related to the sequence of, or amount of, residual DNA." 

The spokesperson added that, despite previous theoretical concerns, the current scientific evidence strongly supports that mRNA vaccines are safe, effective, and have a highly favorable balance of benefits to risks.

No link between COVID vaccines and cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, lead to recurrence, or contribute to disease progression. The institute also notes that COVID-19 vaccines don't change DNA or genetic codes.

Blood Cancer U.K. stated there are no controlled, large-scale studies that prove an increased cancer risk following COVID-19 vaccination.

The American Cancer Society also says there is no information suggesting COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer and no evidence the vaccines can cause cancer to grow or recur.

The verdict

There is no scientific evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer. The viral claims originate from an article published by a website known for spreading false information news.