A small UK trial of an AI-formulated DNA COVID vaccine is being sold as "safe and well tolerated," but critics say the safety claims are thin.

• The vaccine was tested on only 39 people, with follow-up for six months and no public list of side effects — just a claim that none were serious.
• Instead of mRNA, it uses small loops of DNA shot into the skin with an air-gun device rather than a needle.
• The big worry is that some of that DNA could get absorbed into a person's own genes, and the makers admit they did not actually test for this.
• The AI was used to find the part of the virus that stays the same across variants, so one shot could target many related bat and animal coronaviruses.
• One trial participant caught COVID anyway, raising doubts about whether it even works.

Outlook: Expect more DNA-based vaccines to move forward as the industry shifts away from mRNA, with safety testing likely to stay a flashpoint.