German scientists have discovered both the cause and solution for blood clotting disorders following COVID-19 vaccination.
According to Professor Rolf Marschalek from Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, the results of his research indicate that the adenoviral vector technology is the cause of blood clotting after COVID-19 vaccination.
A dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. (Photo: Reuters).
The vector technology used in the vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson delivers the DNA sequence of the spike protein—located on the surface of the coronavirus—into the cell nucleus, rather than into the cytoplasm where the virus produces the spike protein.
Once inside the cell nucleus, certain parts of the spike protein may bind or separate, creating mutated versions that cannot attach to the cell membrane to elicit an immune response.
Professor Marschalek and his team hypothesize that these mutated proteins circulate in the body and cause blood clotting at a rate of one in 100,000 people.
Marschalek believes there is a “way out” if vaccine developers can modify the gene sequence encoding the spike protein to prevent it from separating. He mentioned that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has contacted him for assistance.
“(J&J) is trying to optimize their vaccine. With the data we have, we can inform companies how to alter the sequence and code the spike protein in such a way that mutations do not occur,” Marschalek told the Financial Times.
However, some scientists are cautious, stating that Marschalek’s hypothesis still requires further evidence.
“There is a lack of evidence to indicate a relationship between spike protein mutations and blood clotting. This hypothesis still needs to be validated with experimental data,” commented Professor Johannes Oldenburg from the University of Bonn.
