--- title: "Huge Survey Finds the Truth About What mRNA Vaccines Do to the Human Body" description: "A comprehensive review found that mRNA vaccines are a resoundingly safe and effective feat of modern medicine." date: "2026-07-05" modified: "2026-07-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/survey-mrna-vaccines" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "mRNA" - "vaccines" --- # Huge Survey Finds the Truth About What mRNA Vaccines Do to the Human Body ![A person wearing an orange short-sleeve shirt is receiving an injection in the upper arm. A healthcare professional wearing white gloves is holding a syringe with one hand and a cotton ball on the injection site with the other hand. The background is blurred with a green circular grid pattern behind the arm.]() A comprehensive review found that mRNA vaccines — a popular target of viral vaccine conspiracy theories and medical misinformation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — are a resoundingly safe and effective feat of modern medicine. Published [this week in the journal *The Lancet*](), the review confirmed that mRNA vaccines are robustly effective at preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID, and show incredible promise for treating diseases [like cancer]() as well. It was conducted by an international team of researchers based in Canada, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and took the drug's manufacturing, clinical trials, and data from billions of real-world vaccinations into account. "mRNA vaccines represent a transformative advance in vaccinology," reads the study, "combining rapid development timelines, scalable manufacturing, and strong immunogenicity with a favorable safety profile." The study's results also dispel the erroneous notion that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA. Instead, as intended, mRNA vaccines provide human cells with what's basically a limited set of instructions that allow them to momentarily — and safely — replicate a given virus or disease, allowing the body to develop an immune response. The review also showed that the mRNA shots are safe for sensitive groups like children and pregnant women, and that booster shots are helpful for extending a shot's efficacy. "After billions of doses, we now have an extraordinary amount of scientific evidence," said Dr. Anna Blakney, lead author on the study and an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of British Columbia, in a [statement](). "This review affirms that mRNA vaccines are a safe and highly effective platform, supported by rigorous testing and real-world monitoring." Crucially, the review doesn't shy away from possible side effects, which do occur. Some people do appear to have had allergic responses, with some takers, most notably young men, experiencing myocarditis after getting an mRNA shot. "With any new vaccine or medicine, it is important that we clearly and transparently communicate the safety data and rigorous testing that supports their use," Dr. Manish Sadarangani, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, said in a statement. "This is essential to building public trust, countering misinformation and supporting informed decisions about vaccination." But side effects are also a reality of pretty much every drug on the planet, and as the study authors urge, their findings show that negative side effects of mRNA jabs are rare and certainly don't outweigh the benefits: limiting the spread of infectious disease, reducing instances of severe illness and death, and offering additional protection to those who can't receive vaccines themselves due to medical reasons. If you're hesitant about getting an mRNA vaccination, *please* don't listen to podcasters or get your medical advice from social media posts. Listen to scientists — or better yet, consult your doctor. **More on vaccines:** *[Doctors Inject Human Subjects With First Vaccine Designed by AI]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()