Volunteers Needed In New Jersey For Possible Coronavirus Vaccine

NEWARK, NJ — Medical researchers are investigating a possible coronavirus vaccine, and they’re looking for volunteers in Newark, New Jersey and other sites across the country.

On Thursday, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and University Hospital in Newark announced they’re recruiting healthy adults for a clinical research study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of mRNA-1273, a vaccine candidate against COVID-19.

Sponsored by Moderna, the COVE Study is recruiting healthy volunteers ages 18 or older in high-risk populations, including elderly people, racial and ethnic minorities at higher risk for the virus, and essential workers who’ve had close contact with potentially infected people.

According to a joint statement from NJMS and University Hospital, the phase three study will attempt to learn if mRNA-1273 boosts the immune system to produce enough antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“We are excited and hopeful as we begin participating in the COVE Study, understanding this is one of the most important and impactful clinical research studies in our lifetime,” said Shobha Swaminathan, principal investigator at Rutgers NJMS and medical director of infectious diseases practice at University Hospital.

“We encourage individuals across the state to consider participating in this trial, which could bring the world one step closer to ending this global health crisis,” Swaminathan said.

To be eligible for the study, healthy volunteers must be 18 years of age or older with no known history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or previous participation in an investigational coronavirus vaccine, researchers said.

NJMS and University Hospital are prioritizing candidates whose locations or circumstances put them at higher risk of exposure to the virus, including:

• Elderly people, ages 65 and older
• Essential workers in close contact with potentially infected persons, including, but not limited to, healthcare and hospital workers, first responders, transit employees, institutional residents or workers, factory employees, and teachers and students
• Racial and ethnic minorities at high risk for COVID-19

If a person is eligible and decides to participate, the research staff at NJMS will randomize patients to receive either the mRNA-1273 vaccine or a matching placebo. The total length of participation is 25 months and includes about six visits to the clinic and 25 phone calls.

The mRNA-1273 vaccine was co-developed by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc., and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial is expected to enroll roughly 30,000 adult volunteers.

Learn more here.

“Although face coverings, physical distancing and proper isolation and quarantine of infected individuals and contacts can help us mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread, we urgently need a safe and effective preventive vaccine to ultimately control this pandemic,” NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said.

“Results from early-stage clinical testing indicate the investigational mRNA-1273 vaccine is safe and immunogenic, supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial,” Fauci said. “This scientifically rigorous, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is designed to determine if the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 and for how long such protection may last.”

Rutgers NJMS is one of 89 research sites across the country participating in the COVE Study. If someone is interested in participating in clinical research in their area, contact 844-782-6765 or thecovestudy@njms.rutgers.edu to learn more.

• See related article: Doctors On The Front Lines Are Testing New Therapies To Treat Coronavirus

NJMS and University Hospital aren’t the only Newark medical researchers probing possible treatments for the coronavirus.

In April, Saint Michael's Medical Center announced it was among a handful in the world that would be giving some COVID-19 infected patients Remdesivir, an antiviral drug originally developed by Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola.

• See related article: Newark Hospital Gives 'Promising' Coronavirus Drug A Chance

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