A vaccine-sceptic doctor has told the Reform UK conference that COVID vaccines contributed to cancer in the royal family – to criticisms of “extremism” from the health secretary and condemnation from experts.
Dr Aseem Malhotra spent around a quarter of an hour presenting a series of claims on the main stage of the conference in Birmingham – with thousands present in the crowd.
Dr Malhotra, who described himself as a friend of controversial US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said hundreds of studies showed the harms of mRNA vaccines.
He went on to say that he agreed with another doctor that “it’s highly likely that the COVID vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the royal family.”
Sky News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
The comments were met with silence from the audience in the room.
Wes Streeting, the Labour MP and health secretary, was quick to criticise Dr Malhotra.
He said: “When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies.
“Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism.”
Read more: Inside the fight over vaccines in the US Why are child vaccination rates the lowest in decade
Image: Dr Aseem Malhotra at the Reform UK conference. Pic: PA
Blood Cancer UK’s healthcare professional advisory panel, which is made up of specialists from across the UK, said: “There are no controlled, large-scale studies (studies with the most robust scientific evidence) that demonstrate an increased cancer risk following COVID-19 vaccination.”
Brian Ferguson, a professor of viral immunology and the University of Cambridge, said: “There is no credible evidence that these vaccines disrupt tumour suppressors or drive any kind of process – biochemical or otherwise – that results in cancer.
“It is particularly crass to try to link this pseudoscience to the unfortunate incidents of cancer in the royal family and is reminiscent of the ‘died suddenly’ trope which attempted – and ultimately failed – to link the death of any young person to their vaccination status.
“This kind of outlandish conspiracy theory only serves to undermine the credibility of those spreading it.”
Image: Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called the remarks ‘extremism’. Pic: PA
Lord Bethell, the Conservative peer and former health minister, said: “This [is] bad science, bad royal-watching and bad politics – the British public strongly support vaccines and resent people who try to hijack our much-loved royal family for promoting loopy ideas.
“Might work well with American donors, but this is a clanger for Reform UK‘s credibility. I hope they give up this rubbish.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK said: “Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech.”
Summary: A new study reveals a molecular link between fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and Lewy body dementia, a devastating neurodegenerative condition. By combining human epidemiological data and animal experiments, researchers showed that PM2.5 exposure triggers toxic clumps of alpha-synuclein in the brain, similar to those seen in patients.
Mice exposed to pollution developed brain atrophy, cognitive decline, and widespread protein clumps, while mice without alpha-synuclein showed no symptoms. The findings highlight pollution as a potential driver of dementia and a promising avenue for preventive strategies and drug development.
Key Facts:
Pollution Link: PM2.5 exposure increases risk of Lewy body dementia by up to 17%.
Protein Trigger: Airborne particles induce toxic alpha-synuclein clumps in mouse and human brains.
Drug Target Potential: A newly identified pollution-related Lewy body strain may guide future treatments.
Source: Columbia University
A team of researchers found there is a possible molecular connection between air pollution and an increased risk of developing Lewy body dementia.
The study builds on a decade of research linking exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) — from industrial activity, residential burning, wildfires, and vehicle exhaust—to a higher risk of developing these diseases.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence indicating how environmental factors may trigger harmful protein changes in the brain that lead to neurodegeneration.
The team focused on patients hospitalized for the first time with Lewy body-related conditions and used ZIP-code-level data to estimate their long-term exposure to PM2.5. Credit: Neuroscience News
The research is published in Science.
Lewy body diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders marked by the abnormal buildup of a protein, alpha-synuclein, in the brain. These clumps, known as Lewy bodies, are a hallmark of the conditions Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
In their new work, the team discovered that exposing mice to PM2.5 triggered the formation of abnormal alpha-synuclein clumps. These toxic protein clusters shared key structural and disease-related features with those found in the brains of patients with Lewy body dementia.
“We have identified a novel strain of Lewy bodies formed after exposure to air pollution,” says corresponding author Xiaobo Mao, PhD, associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering.
“By defining this strain, we hope to establish a specific target for future drugs aimed at slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases marked by Lewy bodies.”
The research began with an analysis of hospital data from 56.5 million U.S. patients admitted between 2000 and 2014 with neurodegenerative diseases. The team focused on patients hospitalized for the first time with Lewy body-related conditions and used ZIP-code-level data to estimate their long-term exposure to PM2.5.
The scientists found that each interquartile range increase of in PM2.5 concentration in these zip code areas resulted in a 17 percent higher risk of Parkinson’s disease dementia and a 12 percent higher risk of dementia with Lewy bodies.
“This is among the first human epidemiological study to zero-in on a dementia subtype linked to Lewy bodies,” said Xiao Wu, PhD, co-first author of the study and assistant professor of Biostatistics at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
“The statistical association we uncovered is even stronger than what previous studies found when lumping all Alzheimer’s and related dementias together—highlighting Lewy body formation as a potentially pivotal pathway that warrants deeper biological investigation, says
“We hope to inspire researchers to conduct both epidemiologic and molecular studies that focus on dementia subtypes linked to Lewy bodies.”
Exploring the biological reason for this association between exposure to PM2.5 and Lew body dementia, the team of researchers exposed both normal mice and genetically modified mice lacking the alpha-synuclein protein to PM2.5 pollution every other day for a period of ten months.
“In normal mice, we saw brain atrophy, cell death, and cognitive decline—symptoms similar to those in Lewy body dementia,” says study collaborator Ted Dawson, MD, PhD, the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Professor in Neurodegenerative Diseases and director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering. “But in mice lacking alpha-synuclein, the brain didn’t exhibit any significant changes.”
The researchers then studied mice with a human gene mutation (hA53T) linked to early-onset Parkinson’s disease. After five months of PM2.5 exposure, these mice developed widespread pockets of alpha-synuclein and experienced cognitive decline. Observed through biophysical and biochemical analysis, these protein clumps were structurally distinct from those that form during natural aging.
The team also set out to determine whether air pollution effects varied by location. They found that mice exposed to separate samples of PM2.5 from China, Europe and the United States led to similar brain changes and development of alpha-synuclein pockets, suggesting that the harmful effects of PM2.5 may be broadly consistent across different regions.
The researchers say changes in gene expression in the brains of PM2.5-exposed mice were strikingly similar to those found in human patients with Lewy body dementia which indicate that pollution may not only trigger the build-up of toxic proteins but also drive disease-related gene expression changes in the human brain.
“We believe we’ve identified a core molecular link between PM2.5 exposure and the propagation of Lewy body dementia,” Mao says.
While genetic factors play a significant role in neurodegenerative disease, the scientists say people can potentially control their exposure to pollution.
The next goal of the researchers is to determine which specific components in air pollution are driving these effects. Understanding that could help guide public health efforts to reduce harmful exposures and lower the risk of disease, notes the research team.
By identifying this novel strain of Lewy bodies formed after exposure to air pollution the authors of the study hope to establish a specific target for future drugs aimed at slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases marked by Lewy bodies.
Funding:
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH RF1 AG079487, K01 ES036202, P20 AG093975, P30 ES009089, R01 ES030616, R01 AG066793, RF1 AG074372, RF1 AG080948), the Helis Foundation, the Parkinson’s Foundation, the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, the Freedom Together Foundation and the Department of Defense.
About this Lewy body dementia research news
Author: Stephanie Berger Source: Columbia University Contact: Stephanie Berger – Columbia University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. “Lewy body dementia promotion by air pollutants” by Xiaobo Mao et al. Science
Abstract
Lewy body dementia promotion by air pollutants
INTRODUCTION
Lewy body dementia (LBD), comprising dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) with dementia (PDD), is a devastating and increasingly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder.
Ambient PM2.5 is a recognized broad dementia risk factor; however, its specific role in initiating LBD, particularly its distinct pathological trajectory versus PD without dementia, remains unaddressed. This study systematically investigates this link.
RATIONALE
Pathologic α-synuclein (αSyn) is the defining neuropathological hallmark of LBD. A leading hypothesis posits that environmental neurotoxins, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), could trigger initial αSyn misfolding and propagation into the brain. However, epidemiological relationships between PM2.5 exposure and LBD versus PD subtypes lacked large-scale substantiation.
Whether PM2.5 can induce αSyn to form pathogenic strains that drive LBD’s specific clinical and pathological signatures remains unclear. Elucidating this environmental-molecular nexus is key to unravelling LBD pathogenesis and identifying targeted interventions. Our study aimed to dissect these fundamental mechanisms.
RESULTS
Convergent, multimodal evidence from large-scale human epidemiology, molecular, cellular, animal, and patient studies demonstrated a robust PM2.5-LBD link.
First, analysis of >56 million US Medicare beneficiaries revealed that chronic PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with first hospitalizations for α-synucleinopathies.
A key finding was that the link between PM2.5 exposure and hospitalization risk was stronger for LBD (PDD and DLB) patients than for those with PD without dementia, implying a preferential vulnerability or pathogenic mechanism in LBD.
Second, we demonstrated an essential role of αSyn in PM2.5-related neurological disorders. Chronic PM2.5 exposure in wild-type (WT) mice induced brain atrophy, cognitive deficits, and widespread αSyn pathology in the brain and peripheral organs (gut, lungs) as well as concomitant tau pathology.
Genetic ablation of αSyn conferred strong protection against these PM2.5-induced detrimental effects, clearly establishing αSyn as an important mediator of this environmental neurotoxicity.
Third, we found that PM2.5 from diverse global sources (US, China, and Europe) induced conformational change in αSyn preformed fibrils (PFFs), inducing a distinct αSyn strain (PM-PFF). PM-PFF remained stable across passages and, compared with PFF, exhibited LBD-like pathogenic features, including accelerated aggregation, degradation resistance, enhanced propagation, and increased neurotoxicity, mimicking αSyn strains found in LBD.
When inoculated into humanized αSyn mice, this PM-PFF strain preferentially induced cognitive impairments, contrasting with the primarily motor deficits induced by PFF. Consistently, brain transcriptomic analyses revealed that both chronic PM2.5 exposure and PM-PFF inoculation in humanized αSyn mice elicited gene expression signatures that mirrored those of LBD (PDD and DLB) but not those of PD without dementia, underscoring an LBD-specific pathogenic axis.
CONCLUSION
This study provides evidence linking PM2.5 exposure to LBD. The neurotoxic effects of PM2.5 appear to be mediated by αSyn, with exposure generating a pathogenic strain (PM-PFF) that shares key properties with αSyn strains in human LBD.
In mice, this strain induced cognitive deficits and transcriptomic changes resembling those in LBD patients, distinct from those in PD without dementia. These findings identify an environmental mechanism contributing to LBD pathogenesis and underscores the role of αSyn.
The PM2.5-induced strain represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Collectively, these results emphasize the importance of further research into air pollution’s role in neurodegenerative diseases and its implications for public health strategies.
Farmers have been advised to remain vigilant for signs of the bluetongue virus in their animals after a sheep tested positive for the disease.
The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed a ram at a property in Cornwall had tested positive for the disease on Friday.
Defra confirmed the ram had died but other animals on the premises would not be culled since bluetongue virus is mainly spread by biting midges.
The notifiable disease does not pose a threat to human health or food safety but it can affect farmers by making animals sick, reducing milk yields and affecting breeding, Defra added.
A Defra spokesperson said: “We have confirmed the detection of bluetongue virus in a single ram at a premises in Cornwall.
“We urge all animal owners to ensure scrupulous biosecurity standards are in place and to report any signs of infection to the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately.”
They said bluetongue affects sheep and other ruminants such as deer and goats as well as camelids such as llamas and alpacas and cattle.
In the most severe cases, it can cause death in adult animals.
A restricted zone for bluetongue was put in place across England on 1 July which meant keepers would be able to move their animals without a specific licence or test for the disease.
Sucralose is a popular sugar substitute for people who are cutting calories or managing blood sugar levels, but new research by the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center suggests that the artificial sweetener may not be the best choice for patients undergoing cancer immunotherapy.
Publishing recently in Cancer Discovery, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, the study found that patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer who consumed high levels of sucralose had worse response to immunotherapy and poorer survival than those with diets low in the artificial sweetener.
Strikingly, supplements that boosted levels of the amino acid arginine mitigated the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy in mice, an approach that could now be tested in clinical trials.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Stop drinking diet soda,’ but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic,” said lead author Abby Overacre, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Immunology at Pitt and UPMC Hillman. “We need to meet patients where they are. That’s why it’s so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy.”
Senior author Diwakar Davar, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Pitt and a medical oncologist and hematologist at UPMC Hillman, collaborating with Overacre and their team, used mouse models to show that the negative impacts of sucralose are driven by disruption to gut bacteria.
Sucralose shifted the composition of the mouse gut microbiome, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine, which reduced levels of this amino acid in the blood, tumor fluid and stool.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies such as anti-PD1 work by ramping up T cell activity so that they can more effectively kill cancer cells. Arginine is essential for T cell function, especially in cancer.
“When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn’t function properly,” said Overacre. “As a result, immunotherapy wasn’t as effective in mice that were fed sucralose.”
In mouse models of adenocarcinoma and melanoma, adding sucralose to the diet inhibited anti-PD1 therapy, leading to larger tumors and poorer survival. But when the researchers gave sucralose-fed mice arginine or citrulline, which is metabolized into arginine in the body, the effectiveness of immunotherapy was restored.
To assess the relevance of these findings for humans, the researchers looked at 132 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer who received anti-PD1 therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Patients filled out detailed diet history questionnaires that included questions about how often they consumed artificial sweeteners in coffee, tea and diet soda.
“We found that sucralose impeded the effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment modalities,” said Davar. “These observations raise the possibility of designing prebiotics, such as targeted nutrient supplementation for patients who consume high levels of sucralose.”
The researchers hope to launch a clinical trial investigating whether citrulline supplements — which boost arginine levels more than arginine itself — affect the gut microbiome and anti-tumor immune response in patients.
They are also interested in looking at how other sugar substitutes, such as aspartame, saccharin, xylitol and stevia, impact the immune system and response to immunotherapy.
Other authors on the study were Kristin Morder, M.S., Madison Nguyen, Drew Wilfahrt, Ph.D., Zakaria Dahmani, Ansen Burr, M.D., Ph.D., Bingxian Xie, Ph.D., Michael Morikone, Ph.D., Hector Nieves-Rosado, M.D., Ph.D., William Gunn, M.S., Drew Hurd, Hong Wang, Ph.D., Steven Mullett, Kaitlin Bossong, Stacy Gelhaus, Ph.D., Dhivyaa Rajasundaram, Ph.D., Lawrence Kane, Ph.D., and Greg Delgoffe, Ph.D., and Jishnu Das, Ph.D., all of Pitt or UPMC.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (DP2AI177967, S10OD023402, S10OD032141, R01CA206517, R01AI138504, T32GM008208, U01 CA271407, R01 CA257265, U01 CA268806 and P50 CA254865), the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and Gateway for Cancer Research (G-22-800).
A controversial doctor given top billing at the Reform party conference has used his main-stage speech to air a claim the Covid vaccine caused cancer in the royal family.
The speech by Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist who was appointed as a senior adviser to the US health secretary and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy, drew sharp intakes of breath in the Birmingham auditorium where he was handed a prime speaking slot.
After setting out what he said were findings showing that vaccines “created havoc” in the human body, Malhotra said he had been asked to share something by a doctor who he described as one of Britain’s most eminent oncologists.
“He thinks it’s highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor in the cancer of members of the royal family,” said Malhotra, who had previously said: “This isn’t just his opinion many other doctors feel the same way.”
The remarks drew immediate condemnation from the health secretary, Wes Streeting, and others.
“When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies,” said Streeting.
“Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism.”
A spokesperson for Cancer Research UK said: “There is no good evidence of a link between the Covid-19 vaccine and cancer risk. The vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against the infection and prevent serious symptoms.”
There had been speculation at the conference from early morning that Malhotra would make the comment in his speech.
A known vaccine sceptic, Malhotra had been listed in the conference programme as speaking on the topic “Make Britain Healthy Again”, a slogan borrowed from the Trump administration. Doctors had urged Farage in advance of the speech not to give him a platform.
Malhotra had garbled the name of the oncologist who he cited in his speech. However, in the past he has used X to link to an interview with TalkTV in which Angus Dalgleish, an oncologist, linked Covid jabs to cancer.
There was no immediate comment from Buckingham Palace, which first announced the king’s cancer diagnosis in February 2024. The Princess of Wales, Catherine, announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.
King Charles was revealed to be undergoing treatment for cancer in February 2024. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Malhotra has long been a vocal figure for hesitancy about Covid vaccines, claiming they pose a greater threat than the virus itself – a view repeatedly debunked by factcheckers.
In his speech on Saturday, he referred to findings that were aired on a show presented by Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Trump. At the end of his speech, he went on to claim that the general public were being misled and that Covid vaccines had been responsible for killing and injuries.
Malhotra had appeared on Friday at the Reform UK conference at a fringe panel to discuss free speech, where calls were made for Britain to withdraw from the World Health Organization.
The speech was one of a number of incidents that threatened to generate negative headlines over the course of a two-day conference where Reform, leading Labour and Tories in the polls, tried hard to project an image of professionalism.
Signs that the party was managing to court acceptance in corporate sectors included the presence of a Heathrow International Business Lounge, along with a small number of diplomatic delegations.
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But there were also signs that Reform leadership remains concerned about the potential for divisions to once again cause ruptures. Previous schisms have emerged over its approach to Tommy Robinson’s supporters, while the party’s erstwhile MP for Great Yarmouth Rupert Lowe and its former deputy leader Ben Habib are among those who are now fervent critics of Farage outside the party.
Farage used his closing speech on Saturday to appeal to Reform members to settle disputes in private. He asked: “Can we please exercise discipline and air our disagreements between each other in private?”
However, Malhotra’s speech was not the only one to mark a descent into culture-war controversy that critics have long warned make Reform an unserious proposition for government.
Earlier Sarah Pochin, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, who has previously called for the burqa to be banned in Britain, told the conference she wanted to arrive on stage in a turquoise version of the Islamic headdress. She said the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice had said no to this.
The MP was at the centre of a row in Reform UK this year when she called on the prime minister to ban the burqa and was later accused by then Reform chair Zia Yusuf of asking a “dumb” question as it was not party policy.
Pochin also told members she would “not be silenced” by a new Islamophobia definition introduced by the government saying she would “see you in jail” if a new law on the issue was passed.
The comments came in reference to a working group, led by the former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve, which was set up earlier this year by Angela Rayner to provide recommendations on how to tackle anti-Muslim hatred in Britain, including whether to create a new definition of Islamophobia.
The conference also ended with an appearance on stage by Lucy Connolly, the former childminder who was jailed after last year’s riots for a social media post calling asylum seeker hotels to be torched.
Connolly said she would “love” to work with the party in the future, receiving cheers from the audience as she revealed she voted for them at the last election.
There were no further high-profile defections from the Conservative party. The former Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told a fringe gathering at the conference that his teenage daughter, Mary, had joined Reform UK and that he was “having my arm twisted” by her to follow suit.
