SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UC Davis Health and Pfizer are partnering to offer two new clinical trials in Sacramento for the COVID-19 booster vaccine.
A university spokesperson said in a press release the trials are recruiting double-vaccinated patients to measure the effectiveness of different booster doses, as well as test heart muscle protein levels after a booster shot.
“There is still a lot to understand about the virus and the immune response the vaccine creates,” said Timothy Albertson, Department of Internal Medicine professor and chair who is leading both clinical trials at UC Davis. “This includes studying the continued efficacy and possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
What prompted the recent booster shot trials?
As the delta and omicron variant of COVID-19 spread in the latter half of 2021, demand for a booster shot heightened.
At the time, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a 30-microgram booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 12 years old and above, the amount was the same strength as the first two COVID-19 vaccinations.
Now, clinical coordinators working with UC Davis Health and Pfizer are recruiting healthy adults who took the first two Pfizer shots ― with at least five months since the completion of the initial shot series.
Trial one aims to determine if different doses of the booster shot produce similar immune responses. Participating patients will be randomly assigned to either a standard 30-microgram dose of vaccine, or a 10-microgram dose and will return for a total of five clinic visits over one year.
Trail two aims to analyze levels of a heart muscle protein known as troponin before and after a booster shot. High levels of troponin are linked to heart injury, according to UC Davis Health.
Participating patients will receive both a booster and a placebo injection four weeks apart. They will be told to take either of these immunizations at their first visit ― for a total of five visits over two months.
How to sign up
To be eligible applicants should have no history of severe allergic reactions to any components of the vaccine, or a severe allergic reaction to COVID-19.
For more information about the clinical trials, visit clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04955626.
