I’ve heard the phrase repeated so many times: “mRNA can’t change your DNA.” And yes, in a strict sense, that’s technically true. RNA doesn't just reverse-engineer itself into your genetic code like some viruses can. But if you stop there, you miss something much more subtle and potentially far more important.
Let me take you on a quick journey into the fascinating and slightly alarming world of epigenetics, where mRNA doesn’t rewrite the genetic blueprint, but it may well change which pages get read.
A new paper published on March 25th, titled “Persistent Epigenetic Memory of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Monocyte-Derived Macrophages,” caught my attention. On the surface, it’s being celebrated. Researchers are saying, “Look, this is how mRNA vaccines train your immune system.” But as I read deeper, alarm bells started ringing.
They weren’t just talking about antibodies or T cells. This study revealed something else: the mRNA vaccine alters how certain immune cells—specifically macrophages—access and activate parts of the DNA. Not by changing the genetic sequence, but by unlocking sections of it and leaving them propped open for months.
This is the world of epigenetic programming; and it’s no small thing.
The Histone Highway
To simplify a very complex process: your DNA is tightly wound around proteins called histones, like a string wrapped around yo-yos. When the DNA is wrapped up, it can’t be read or used. Only when the string is unwound can the cell “read” that part and make proteins from it.
The mRNA vaccine appears to alter the histones, particularly one called H3K27ac. This change keeps parts of the DNA unwound and active—specifically, parts that code for inflammatory signals.
It’s like installing a light switch in your house, flipping it on, and then jamming it in place so it can’t turn off. The immune system stays lit up.
At first, this was hailed as a mechanism for how the body “remembers” the vaccine. But I saw something else.
