Dr. Michael Levin is interviewed at the Wake Research-Clinical Research Center of Nevada, Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 | 2 a.m.
An experimental COVID-19 vaccine that has reportedly shown the ability to spur an immune response will be tested in Las Vegas starting this month.
Wake Research-Clinical Research Center of Nevada will be testing a vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company Moderna on 300-500 people in Las Vegas. The volunteers in Las Vegas, chosen for the study because it’s been a hot spot for the virus, will be among 30,000 people testing the Moderna vaccine in cities around the country.
The Moderna vaccine has led patients to produce antibodies that could neutralize the coronavirus, according to an article from STAT, a national health and science media company. Studies did show minor side effects but no major adverse reactions.
The federal government has invested in several companies, including Moderna, as part of its Operation Warp Speed, the effort to make coronavirus vaccines and treatments available to the American public as quickly as possible.
“To get an effective vaccine will benefit all of us to get back to normal. I’m tired of wearing these masks,” said primary investigator Dr. Michael Levin, who is leading the local trials.
The vaccine — mRNA-1273 — is in Phase 3 of clinical trials. The overall study is designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1273 to prevent COVID-19 for up to two years after the second dose.
“What’s unique about COVID is what it’s done to the way we live, and it’s a pandemic and there’s a certain amount of coronaphobia,” Levin said.
While the earlier phases of the Moderna vaccine trials examined safety and side effects, Phase 3 will focus on its effectiveness.
Volunteers must be 18 years or older, in stable condition and without COVID-19 symptoms. Researchers also are seeking people to enroll who are at high risk of catching the virus, such as front-line and medical workers.
Volunteers will get an injection of the vaccine on Day One and Day 29 of the study. Each visit, volunteers will receive an antibody test for coronavirus.
Volunteers must participate in the study for two years with eight total visits, with unscheduled visits if symptoms are identified and testing is needed, Levin said. Volunteers are compensated for each visit.
Anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, immunodeficient or has a history of coronavirus are excluded from the study. Women of child-bearing age must abstain from sexual activity or be on birth control at least 28 days prior to their first dose of the vaccine.
Some patients will be given a placebo and others the vaccine. During the course of the trial and for ethical reasons, researchers and volunteers won’t know if the volunteer received a placebo or the vaccine.
Those interested in participating in the Las Vegas trials can apply at covidstudies.org or call 702-893-8968.
