Our COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Study

 Sign Up for the Trial

Please email us at COVIDVaccine@coh.org to see if you may qualify to volunteer for this COVID-19 vaccine booster study. A study staff member will walk you through a few eligibility questions and the next steps.
 

“Are you a healthy volunteer and at least 18 years old? Then, you may be eligible to take part in the City of Hope vaccine booster study."

At City of Hope, we know that joining a clinical research study is a very personal choice. Studies are important for medical advances, and current treatments for diseases and conditions are only available because of study volunteers. Your participation will contribute to what is known about COVID-19 disease prevention with vaccines.

What Makes City of Hope's Vaccine Unique and Why Should You Participate?

City of Hope’s investigational vaccine is built on a Food and Drug Administration-approved and widely used platform known as MVA (modified vaccinia Ankara). MVA vaccines tend to produce an immune response quickly — in less than 14 days — and have been shown to be safe and effective in adults, children and even vulnerable, immunocompromised people, such as cancer and transplant patients.

City of Hope’s vaccine is designed to produce antibodies that may block the virus from entering cells. It is also designed to spur abundant T cell production and long-lasting T cell immunity, both of which may be key to providing long-term protection against future infection. Because City of Hope’s vaccine stimulates the immune system in a different way from the mRNA vaccines, its properties may prove to be a valuable booster to protect against COVID-19 variants. Participating in this study may increase your antibody levels and further protect you from getting COVID-19. If you wish, our team will provide you with information on the change in immune response from the study entry to day 28 after the booster.

The information we learn by doing this study on healthy volunteers may help protect vulnerable, immunocompromised people in the future.

To qualify as a volunteer, you must:

  • Be 18 years or older.
  • Be healthy.
  • You may participate if FDA/CDC guidelines recommend receiving a first or a subsequent booster, including if you are over 50 and would like to get City of Hope COVID-19 vaccine as a fourth injection.

Participants in clinical research studies should represent the population that may ultimately be receiving the drug — in this case, a vaccine. City of Hope is committed to including volunteers from all backgrounds, genders, races and ethnicities in this study.

Does It Cost Anything To Participate And Are Participants Paid?

There will be no costs to you or your insurance for participating in this research. You will receive $50 per completed in-person study visit. Participants will also receive $100 for each referred friend or family member who qualifies and enters the study.

What To Expect During The Study?

  • The study is taking place at City of Hope’s main campus in Duarte, California.
  • Volunteers will be screened for study eligibility, including COVID-19 viral testing. Volunteers will receive one booster injection with City of Hope’s vaccine in the muscle in the upper non-dominant arm. All participants will receive City of Hope’s investigational vaccine since there is no placebo arm to the study.
  • Volunteers will be asked to donate blood for research testing when receiving the booster (Day 0) and at only four other visits (Days 14, 28, 180 and 365). If volunteers desire, our team will provide information on the change in antibody response from the study entry to Day 28 after the booster.
  • Volunteers will be asked to participate in follow-up visits done via the telehealth platform and in person for one year.