The Potential Significance of Aluminum/DNA Compounds in Gardasil on Health

By Norma Erickson

Each dose of Gardasil contains 225mcg of aluminum-based adjuvant. Adjuvants are in vaccines to bring the antigen (the substance that stimulates the specific protective immune response) into contact with the immune system and influence the type of immunity produced, as well as the magnitude or duration of the immune response.

In the case of Gardasil, the aluminum adjuvant is present to keep the HPV 6/11/16/18 virus-like particles in contact with the immune system long enough for the body to produce antibodies to those HPV genotypes. The theory is the more antibodies produced, the stronger the potential immunity is.

Excerpts from a recent paper entitled “Host DNA released in response to aluminum adjuvant enhances MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation and prolongs CD4 T-cell interactions with dendritic cells,” by McKee et al. state:

Alum has been used to improve the efficacy of vaccines since the 1930s. Here we show that alum acts in part via host DNA to increase the interaction between T cells and APCs.

Many vaccines include aluminum salts (alum) as adjuvants despite little knowledge of alum’s functions. Host DNA rapidly coats injected alum. Here, we further investigated the mechanism of alum and DNA’s adjuvant function.

Thus, alum, once believed to extend the half-life of antigen in the body, is now recognized to engage many innate receptor pathways. Although some of these pathways may not be involved in the adjuvant effects of alum on DC and T-cell priming, DNA-mediated signaling appears to have important effects on DC antigen presentation and to contribute to the effects of alum as an adjuvant.

What does this mean for the average medical consumer?

First, one has to have a basic understanding of the scientific terminology used in the paper quoted above.

• T cells are a type of white blood cell of key importance to the immune system. It is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body’s immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders. There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines.
• Cytokines  are small proteins produced by immune cells that act as biological response modifiers. They have specific effects on cell to cell interaction, communication and behavior of other cells. They include biological response modifiers, colony stimulating factor, fibroblast growth factor, interferons, interleukins, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor β, and tumor necrosis factor.
• Antigen – a toxin or foreign substance that when introduced into the body stimulates the production of antibodies.
• APC – antigen presenting cell
• DC – A dendritic cell is a highly specialized white blood cell found in the skin, mucosa, and lymphoid tissues that initiates a primary immune response by activating lymphocytes and secreting cytokines.
• Macrophage – A type of white blood cell that ingests (via phagocytosis) foreign material. Macrophages are key players in the immune response to foreign invaders of the body, such as infectious microorganisms or other toxic substances. They are normally found in the liver, spleen, and connective tissues of the body. Activated macrophages secrete a variety of cytokines, some of which are harmful, particularly in certain genetically predisposed people.

According to a presentation on Prophylactic HPV vaccines, by Margaret Stanley, Department of Pathology at Cambridge, low antibody levels protect against natural genital HPV infections in women. Peak antibody concentrations after HPV vaccination are 50 to 1,000 times the antibody levels after natural infections. The antibody level necessary for protection against HPV has not been determined.

Have vaccine experts over-emphasized the benefits of increasing the interaction time between T cells and antigen presenting cells to boost immune reaction?

Have vaccine experts simply assumed higher antibody levels mean more protection with no potential negative consequences?

Have the ‘experts’ disregarded the potential harm resulting from overstimulation of a person’s immune system and the cytokines produced by extended immune system stimulation?

What could happen in vaccine recipients when the DNA interacting with the aluminum adjuvant is not from the host, but from viral gene fragments with topological non-B conformational changes already bound to the aluminum adjuvant before it is injected – as it is with Gardasil?

In light of the recent publication by McKee et al. and the presentation by Margaret Stanley, our readers are urged to read the report by Lee, entitled “Detection of human papillomavirus L1 gene DNA fragments in postmortem blood and spleen after Gardasil® vaccination—A case report. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology.

Pay close attention to the following excerpt:

A potential consequence of these viral and microbial DNA fragments with their unmethylated CpG motifs in macro-phages [41-46] is to cause release of various cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a recognized myocardial depressant [47-51]. TNF-induced hypotensive shock is a documented observation among animals [52,53] and humans [54,55]. To answer the question whether the quantity of these persistent viral or microbial DNA fragments can stimulate the macrophages to release enough TNF to generate a significant pathophysiological impact following Gardasil® vaccination needs expanded research.

The SaneVax team could not agree more. In the interest of public health and safety, expanded research is most definitely in order.