Scientific evaluation of alleged findings in HPV vaccines: Molecular mimicry and mouse models of vaccine‐induced disease

• Published in: Cancer science 2022-10, Vol.113 (10), p.3313-3320
• Main Authors: Matsumura, Noriomi, Tsunoda, Ikuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alphapapillomavirus; Aluminum; Amino acids; Analysis; Animal models; Animals; Antibodies; Antigens; Autoimmune diseases; B cells; Brain injury; Cancer vaccines; Cervical cancer; Cervix; Chronic pain; Cognitive ability; Complications and side effects; Coronaviruses; Disease transmission; Encephalomyelitis; Female; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Hepatitis B; HPV vaccine; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Hypotheses; Media coverage; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mice; Mimicry; Molecular Mimicry; Molecular modelling; Movement disorders; Nervous system; neuroimmunology; Neuropsychology; Papillomavirus infections; Papillomavirus Infections - epidemiology; Papillomavirus Infections - prevention & control; Papillomavirus Vaccines - adverse effects; Proteins; Review; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; side effect; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; uterine cervix; Vaccination; Vaccination - adverse effects; Vaccines; Viruses
• ISSN: 1347-9032; 1349-7006; 1349-7006
• DOI: 10.1111/cas.15482

Cervical cancer is caused by infections of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be prevented by vaccinations. In Japan, although about 3000 people die of cervical cancer annually, the HPV vaccination rate has remained extremely low in the eligible population since many Japanese have been concerned that “diverse symptoms,” such as chronic pain, movement disorders, and cognitive impairment, may occur as adverse reactions after HPV vaccination. The concern has been raised by media coverage of the ongoing HPV vaccine lawsuits, in which the plaintiffs complained of their symptoms caused by HPV vaccination. The claims have been based on the alleged pathogenic findings in research articles on HPV vaccines, summarized in the document prepared by the plaintiffs' attorneys. We critically evaluated these articles, in which the authors proposed the following findings/hypothesis: (i) molecular mimicry between HPV L1 and human proteins leads to the production of cross‐reactive antibodies; and (ii) HPV vaccine injection in mice causes damage in the brain, a mouse model for HPV vaccine associated neuro‐immunopathic syndrome (HANS). We found that these hypotheses were based mainly on the findings from a few research groups and that all the articles had flaws in the method, result, or discussion sections. Our current evaluation should help better understand the validity of the findings, which have been often misunderstood as the truth by the general public. We propose to accumulate high‐quality data on potential adverse events following HPV vaccination and to continue critically evaluating them. We have scientifically reviewed the basic research data believed by the plaintiffs in their lawsuit regarding the adverse effects of the HPV vaccine in Japan. We found that those data were based on flawed methods/interpretation, such as “partial” molecular mimicry, and could not explain the symptoms of adverse reactions. We believe that this paper is crucial for the search for the right solution to HPV vaccine adverse reactions.