Claim: A patent held by Moderna proves that its coronavirus mRNA vaccine contains “programmable” nanotechnology that can interact with 5G communications technology.
AP Rating: False. Experts say that while mRNA vaccines do contain nanoparticles, the term simply refers to the size of the lipids, or fats, used as a coating during immunization. The term “programmable” is also used within the patent to refer to the ability to modify and adjust these nanoparticles as needed, they said. This does not mean that it can be programmed to interact with a wireless network.
Fact: A widely shared video on social media claims that pharmaceutical companies have secretly implanted nanotechnology into COVID-19 vaccinations that could somehow connect people to 5G.
This clip shows the women having an argument. One of Moderna’s patents Related to mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines.
The woman points out that the patent mentions “lipid nanoparticles” in the vaccine, which also include “cations,” meaning those with a positive charge.
“They host positive electromagnetic fields,” she insists over eerie music. “There are no lipids in nature that do that. They use the term ‘lipid’ rather than ‘nanotechnology.’ ”
The woman went on to point out that the patent describes nanoparticles that are “fully programmable” and that the vaccine is “not only pre-programmable, but can also receive programming from an external source.” He argued that it suggests.
“So we were right all along,” the text above the video clip reads. “If you get a VAX or a jab, 5G will have an impact.”
But federal regulators and vaccine experts say the video incorrectly explains the terminology used in the patent.
Michael Imperiale, a molecular biologist at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, explains that “nanoparticle” simply refers to the size of lipids, which are aliphatic compounds used to coat and protect mRNA. .
He explained that the lipids inject the mRNA into a person’s cells. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is genetic material It’s included in vaccines that teach cells how to fight the coronavirus.
It’s also not accurate to say, as the video clip suggests, that “lipids don’t exist in nature,” says E. John Wherry, director of the Institute of Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
“These charges are very simple and completely normal chemical reactions,” he explained in an email. “Just as sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) in table salt (NaCl) are bound together by positive and negative charges, lipid membranes are bound by positive or negative charges on their head groups. There is nothing malicious about this.”
As for the idea that these naturally charged lipid nanoparticles are somehow “programmable” to interact with 5G wireless networks, this is also a misnomer, says researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. says Stanley Perlman, professor of microbiology and immunology.
He said the patent describes how the lipid nanoparticle coating developed by Moderna can be modified depending on the purpose in question.
“Programmable doesn’t have the same meaning as it does in IT,” Perlman explains.
Wherry and other experts agreed. “It is inconceivable that these – also completely normal – chemical charges have anything to do with control by external signals such as 5G,” he wrote.
A spokesperson for Massachusetts-based Moderna said: Previously misrepresented patentsdid not respond to emails seeking comment this week.
However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration dismissed the video as “completely false and misleading” in an emailed statement.
The agency declined to comment on the patent language, instead pointing to information about lipid nanoparticles in the Moderna vaccine. approval and authorization Documents posted on the website.
“There is no microchip It is present in all vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine,” the FDA wrote. “Vaccine lipid nanoparticles cannot interact with 5G technology.”
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This is part of AP’s efforts to combat widely shared misinformation, including working with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content circulating online. is. Learn more about fact-checking at AP..
