Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham are looking for up to 500 people to participate in a clinical trial of a promising vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19.
The UAB Hospital announced this week that it will begin human trials next month with a vaccine developed by researchers from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. The new trial is independent of previous studies conducted at the UAB on possible vaccines and treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
A study published earlier this week showed that the new vaccine had generated a promising immune response in a limited number of subjects in the first trials, and now researchers are stepping up their efforts to determine if the vaccine is safe and effective in a larger population. big.
“The study will enroll 30,000 people across the country, or 33,000, and we’re going to vaccinate at least 500 people locally,” said Dr. Paul Goepfert, a UAB researcher who is looking to enroll patients in the I study locally. “And we’ll see how that goes in terms of numbers that we can enroll.”
Goepfert said the vaccine is given in two doses, about a month apart. The protocol requires a 2-to-1 ratio of vaccine to monitor patients, so for every two participants who receive the vaccine, one will receive a placebo. Goepfert said doctors and patients probably won’t know if they received the vaccine or a placebo, and that the two populations will be monitored over time to compare their COVID-19 development rates and possible side effects.
The researchers will not deliberately expose patients to the virus, but are seeking to enroll people in the study who have a high probability of encountering the virus in their daily lives.
“Actually, we are interested in vaccinating people in nursing homes, for example, or in assisted living, people who work in distribution centers like Amazon, possibly people who work in car factories, Mercedes, Honda for example, “said Goepfert. “The places where people have to be together, and they really have no choice but to work together.”
Goepfert said there are several similar vaccines in development for the virus that causes COVID-19, and it is likely that if one works, the others will, too, as they use the same mechanism to protect themselves against the virus.
“We are going to enroll 500, hopefully more than that, but at least 500 a year,” Goepfert said. “And then you follow them over time to see with luck, you’ll see that people who get the vaccine actually have less infection and, hopefully, less disease than people who don’t get the vaccine.” And then once you have that signal, because it’s such a large study that it’s designed with FDA involvement from the start, then you can get licensed after that. ”
Despite the promise of the vaccine, the new coronavirus is likely to be with us for a longer time. Some studies have shown that antibodies decrease over time in patients who have recovered from the virus, meaning that the vaccine or immunity after recovering from the virus can only last for a long time.
However, there is some hope that people who receive the vaccine are better protected than those who have had a natural infection.
“It may well be that the immune response you get with a vaccine is better than what you can get from a natural infection,” Goepfert said. “And we are waiting for that, but we don’t know yet. And if that’s the case, maybe vaccines, the durability of the vaccine-induced immune response will last longer than the natural infection, and that would be very helpful. “
People who wish to volunteer for the vaccine trial at UAB can call 205-934-6777 for more information.
