Why Use Aborted Fetal Tissue in Vaccines
Fetal cells were originally used because viruses tend to grow better for research purposes. The advantages of using fetal tissue include:
Fetal cells can be kept at cold temperatures using liquid nitrogen.These qualities make it possible for scientists to continue using the same fetal cell lines that were originally created decades ago.
Vaccine manufacturers obtain human cell lines from FDA-certified cell banks. After processing, very little (if any) tissue remains in the vaccine. Vaccines do not contain fetal cells.Researchers continue to develop new therapies and treatments based on fetal cell lines.
Which Vaccines Incorporate Aborted Fetal Tissues?
Vaccines that are developed from the cell lines of aborted fetal tissue include:
In some cases, alternative vaccines may be available, as is the case with the mRNA-based Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, or the RabAvert rabies vaccine cultivated from chicken fibroblasts.
Your healthcare provider can help if you want to learn more about the alternatives or have specific concerns.
Fetal Tissue and COVID-19 VaccinesNeither theModernanorPfizer COVID-19 vaccineswere produced using fetal cell lines.Researchers, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson teams, used at least two cell lines from human fetal tissue aborted years ago (in 1972 and 1985) while working on six possible COVID-19 vaccines.No new abortions were involved.
Fetal Tissue and COVID-19 Vaccines
Neither theModernanorPfizer COVID-19 vaccineswere produced using fetal cell lines.Researchers, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson teams, used at least two cell lines from human fetal tissue aborted years ago (in 1972 and 1985) while working on six possible COVID-19 vaccines.No new abortions were involved.
Vaccines, Aborted Fetal Tissue and Your DNA
One vaccine myth that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic was the concern that the mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer products) could change your DNA once it entered the cells in your body.
There is no risk of that occurring with these vaccines.Neither vaccines nor aborted fetal tissue used to develop them in the laboratory can alter your DNA. Further, there ultimately is no aborted fetal tissue in vaccines because of the manufacturing process of the product.
Researchers continue to develop alternatives to fetal tissue in developing vaccines, including the use of adult stem cells and pluripotent stem cells (genetically reprogrammed adult cells).
Summary
If you have concerns about any recommended vaccine, your healthcare provider can help you learn more about what’s inside the vaccine. They can also provide information about alternative vaccines created from animal cells instead of human cells for people who have ethical or religious concerns.
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8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Vaccine ingredients: fetal cells.Wadman M.Vaccines that use human fetal cells draw fire.Science. 2020 Jun 12;368(6496):1170-1171. doi:10.1126/science.368.6496.1170Brumbaugh J, Aguado BA, Lysaght T, Goldstein LSB.Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research.Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Dec 12;18(12):2300-2312. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008Durant KM, Whitesell A, Dasse KD.A review of fetal cell lines used during drug development: Focus on COVID-19 vaccines, transplant medications, and biologics.Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Jun 24;81(13):e336-e344National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC.Ask the experts: vaccine safety.GlaxoSmithKline.Package insert - RabAvert.Preet Kaur S, Gupta V.COVID-19 vaccine: a comprehensive status report.Virus Res.2020 Oct 15;288:198114. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198114Johns Hopkins Medicine.COVID-19 vaccines: myth versus fact.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Vaccine ingredients: fetal cells.Wadman M.Vaccines that use human fetal cells draw fire.Science. 2020 Jun 12;368(6496):1170-1171. doi:10.1126/science.368.6496.1170Brumbaugh J, Aguado BA, Lysaght T, Goldstein LSB.Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research.Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Dec 12;18(12):2300-2312. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008Durant KM, Whitesell A, Dasse KD.A review of fetal cell lines used during drug development: Focus on COVID-19 vaccines, transplant medications, and biologics.Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Jun 24;81(13):e336-e344National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC.Ask the experts: vaccine safety.GlaxoSmithKline.Package insert - RabAvert.Preet Kaur S, Gupta V.COVID-19 vaccine: a comprehensive status report.Virus Res.2020 Oct 15;288:198114. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198114Johns Hopkins Medicine.COVID-19 vaccines: myth versus fact.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Vaccine ingredients: fetal cells.Wadman M.Vaccines that use human fetal cells draw fire.Science. 2020 Jun 12;368(6496):1170-1171. doi:10.1126/science.368.6496.1170Brumbaugh J, Aguado BA, Lysaght T, Goldstein LSB.Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research.Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Dec 12;18(12):2300-2312. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008Durant KM, Whitesell A, Dasse KD.A review of fetal cell lines used during drug development: Focus on COVID-19 vaccines, transplant medications, and biologics.Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Jun 24;81(13):e336-e344National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC.Ask the experts: vaccine safety.GlaxoSmithKline.Package insert - RabAvert.Preet Kaur S, Gupta V.COVID-19 vaccine: a comprehensive status report.Virus Res.2020 Oct 15;288:198114. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198114Johns Hopkins Medicine.COVID-19 vaccines: myth versus fact.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Vaccine ingredients: fetal cells.
Wadman M.Vaccines that use human fetal cells draw fire.Science. 2020 Jun 12;368(6496):1170-1171. doi:10.1126/science.368.6496.1170
Brumbaugh J, Aguado BA, Lysaght T, Goldstein LSB.Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research.Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Dec 12;18(12):2300-2312. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008
Durant KM, Whitesell A, Dasse KD.A review of fetal cell lines used during drug development: Focus on COVID-19 vaccines, transplant medications, and biologics.Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Jun 24;81(13):e336-e344
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC.Ask the experts: vaccine safety.
GlaxoSmithKline.Package insert - RabAvert.
Preet Kaur S, Gupta V.COVID-19 vaccine: a comprehensive status report.Virus Res.2020 Oct 15;288:198114. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198114
Johns Hopkins Medicine.COVID-19 vaccines: myth versus fact.
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