The University of Kentucky is taking part in a national COVID vaccine study and looking for volunteers.
Researchers at UK are looking for the most effective combination of vaccines to help prevent infection with future COVID-19 variants.
The vaccine is similar to the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines but with an extra component to enhance it.
UK Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Richard Greenberg said the extra component would target the different proteins that the virus has that would stimulate what is called T cells.
T cells are part of our adaptive immune systems, similar to where antibodies come from, just a different part.
Dr. Greenberg said the antibodies will prevent infection, and they are there to lessen the infection, but they don’t last that long because the virus tends to mutate, and levels drop over time. The T cell component will digest the cells that are infected and keep the host from getting severe ill.
The T cells provide an extra punch of protection against COVID, and Dr. Greenberg says the study will hopefully find this vaccine has longer durability, meaning people won’t have to receive shots as often.
UK is looking for people 18 and older to participate in the study and receive a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
You may be eligible if you have had at least three doses of an RNA-based covid vaccine, never had an allergic reaction to vaccines, have not had COVID in the past 60 days and are not pregnant.
Anyone interested in participating in this study can go online at stopcovidky.com to complete a pre-screening survey and find out if they are eligible.
Source: WBKO
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