Coronavirus: UC Health chosen to hold clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine

CINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati and the university’s health system were chosen to hold Phase 3 clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, the school announced in a media release Wednesday.

>>Coronavirus: What you need to know Wednesday

UC Health plans to enroll around 500 volunteer patients locally in the clinical trial who have not previously tested positive for COVID-19, a health network spokesperson said in the release. UC’s part in the clinical trial will be part of over 30,000 people expected to participate across the country.

The vaccine, named mRNA-1273 was developed by Moderna, a biotechnology company based in Massachusetts, and scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the spokesperson said.

“The vaccine has been in development for three months, and previous studies have shown that mRNA-1273 elicits an immune response similar to individuals who have recovered from COVID-19,” the spokesperson said in the release.

“The Moderna vaccine is a leading-edge technology using a genetic code to produce proteins like those seen with infection with COVID-19, allowing the body to respond,” Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health physician said in the media release. “The hope is that the ongoing production of these proteins will generate antibodies that will protect against infection.”

Researchers said the vaccine developed works differently that traditional vaccines, which often use a small amount of the live virus to stimulate an immune response. This potential vaccine will expose the patient to a protein that is similar to one made by the virus during an infection. Therefore the body’s immune system triggers a protective response without being directly exposed to the actual virus, the UC Health spokesperson explained.

This vaccine is one of two dozen that have been developed and are under further trials and development across the United States, officials said.

Eligible, potential participants in the trial include adults at least 18-years-old with no known history of COVID-19 infection but are at risk of becoming infected. Those with chronic medical conditions will also be included in the study. Recruitment and screening of participants is already underway and vaccine trials are expected to be administered in July.

For questions about the clinical trial, you’re asked to contact UC Health at 513-245-3417.

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