Newly released documents, made public by Senator Rand Paul, reveal that Nobel laureate Drew Weissman privately alerted Dr. Anthony Fauci in early 2021 to concerning findings from his laboratory regarding mRNA vaccine components. These private communications, which involved discussions among senior NIH vaccine scientists, contrast sharply with Weissman's public assertion in 2025 that mRNA persistence in the body is "absolutely impossible."
In February 2021, Weissman emailed Fauci, stating, "I wanted to alert you to some new data we generated." He reported that when injected intravenously into pregnant mice, mRNA-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) crossed the placenta and entered the fetus, inducing viral proteins and an immune response in the amniotic fluid. The study also noted LNP accumulation in the uterus and ovaries of non-pregnant mice, though these initial experiments used significantly higher doses than typical human vaccination.
Following this, on March 1, 2021, Weissman sent Fauci a confidential report on intramuscular (IM) studies in pregnant mice, a more clinically relevant delivery method. "Here is the human dose IM studies in pregnant mice. We still have some concern over the data," he wrote. Fauci subsequently forwarded the report to Dr. John Mascola, director of the NIH Vaccine Research Centre, for discussion.
Despite these earlier private concerns, Weissman publicly dismissed claims of prolonged mRNA and LNP persistence in September 2025. Responding to concerns raised by Retsef Levi, who chaired the ACIP's working group on Covid vaccines, Weissman stated in an interview with STAT News, "It is absolutely impossible. The RNA is gone in days." He emphasized that this rapid degradation is an inherent characteristic of mRNA technology, well-documented through research.
Drew Weissman, along with Katalin Karikó, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines. Their work fundamentally changed the understanding of how mRNA interacts with the immune system, paving the way for the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. The scientific community generally agrees that the mRNA from vaccines is transient and degrades within days to weeks, and the LNPs are also cleared from the body. However, the biodistribution of LNPs, including their presence in various organs, has been a subject of ongoing research and discussion, particularly regarding their potential implications.
