Rejection #4 from Cureus: our DNA paper is getting rejected before it gets a chance to get retracted!

What's the world coming to?

Here’s what Cureus wrote:

Here’s what I wrote:

With all due respect, it appears that the Cureus Editorial Team did not read our manuscript thoroughly.

I have taken the time to point out some errors in your rejection statement.

"there is no SV40 protein present"

We discuss the presence of SV40 promoter/enhancer sequences in the vials as contaminant DNA, not SV40 protein. As we also discuss in our paper, the SV40 enhancer, containing regions like the 72 bp repeats, recruits various transcription factors in the cytoplasm. These factors, which have nuclear localization sequences (NLSs), bind to DNA, forming a complex that can then be recognized by the nuclear import machinery as a substrate for nuclear entry.

"It is "implausible" that DNA fragments will be absorbed and become part of human DNA inside a cell's nucleus."

Ionizable cationic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are specifically designed to introduce encapsulated genetic material to the interiors of cells for subsequent translation of said genetic material (modRNA). Thus, in the case of DNA as the genetic material, genomic integration potential is clear and present, considering the above point. Even though it may not be a common occurrence for foreign DNA fragments to integrate into the human genome, it can happen. *It is vital that you understand that cancer pathways can be induced without the need for genomic integration. Mere cytosolic DNA can induce cancer pathways, such as the cGAS-STING pathway.

"DNA has been digested by DNAase in the manufacturing process"

Does your team not understand that LNP-encapsulated genetic material could comprise both RNA and RNA:DNA hybrids? These hybrids likely form during the in vitro transcription process as part of modRNA synthesis (due to the addition of N1-methylpseudouridine -> higher Tm), and it appears that they are DNaseI-resistant: they would not be digested by DNaseI. DNA contamination (residual DNA fragments) in the product vials would be the result.

"no genotoxicity or increased rates of cancers in the vaccinated population"

In the words of the authors who recently published in the European Heart Journal: "To the best of our knowledge, this is the only second case of pathologically confirmed pericarditis that transformed into mesothelioma, in this case within only 4 months. The unusual manifestation of recurrent fulminant refractory pericarditis without evidence of any underlying medical condition prompted us to consider his COVID-19 vaccination as a putative risk factor in view of anecdotal reports at that time suggesting an increased risk of pericarditis in young adults after administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA-based vaccine." It is vital to stay up-to-date on the current literature.

"That is NOT how the human cells/genes work."

Although this sentence in your rejection statement is amusing, I think you'll find that if you take the time to read this email response, our team understands very well - not only how human cells and genes work - but the mechanism of action of what could be a potential cancer crisis. It's best to err on the side of caution when considering that "a billon" doses and hundreds of millions of patients' have been injected with these products, whilst 100% of the vials tested to date contain levels of DNA that exceed current EMA limits based on naked DNA.

Our work is intended to generate scientific dialogue and to raise awareness within the scientific community regarding our findings, in order to advance knowledge. Given our findings and the concerns they raise, it would seem prudent to publish these results, as this might lead to solutions for problems that many might face in the future. Sequencing tumors, including rare mesotheliomas as mentioned above, will soon become commonplace, in light of these findings which, incidentally, support the current literature.

Dr. Rose

I threw in the old “Dr.” just for them.

Did I mention this is our fourth rejection? And this is pre-review phase. As in, the paper is not even getting accepted for review. I guess the Editors don’t think that DNA in the shots is a big deal.