Slovak Academy of Sciences faces mRNA vaccine conflict of interest allegations

Allegations of a conflict of interest have emerged involving the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and mRNA vaccine research. Critics, including American scientist and entrepreneur Kevin McKernan, have raised concerns regarding Silvia Pastoreková, the Director General of the Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAV).

According to reports, BMC SAV established a joint workspace in 2025 with Sensible Biotechnologies, a company involved in the development of mRNA production technologies. Concerns have been raised that Pastoreková participated in signing a research cooperation agreement with an mRNA vaccine manufacturer while simultaneously acting as a corresponding author on a paper regarding the safety of these vaccines, claiming no conflicts of interest despite receiving payment for the work.

Critics argue that these potential conflicts were not disclosed in the final publication in the journal Nature, despite being noted during the preprint process.