A study on booster vaccination with the MVA-SARS-2-ST vector vaccine is starting at the UKE
Seeking fully vaccinated test subjects.
Approximately two-thirds of the population in Germany have been fully vaccinated against the corona virus to date. But the immune protection from the vaccine diminishes over time. A booster vaccination should again provide increased protection from an illness and a severe course of COVID-19. The University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) are now beginning a further study that will investigate the booster effect of the MVA SARS-2 ST vector vaccine, as developed by DZIF scientists. To this end, 36 test subjects who have been fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine are being sought. Independently of this, the phase 1b study with the optimized vector vaccine is being conducted with unvaccinated individuals.
"Initial studies in recent months have shown that heterologous vaccinations, referring to cross-vaccinations with a vector vaccine and an mRNA vaccine, can lead to an improved immune response as compared to the usual homologous vaccination scheme. Professor Dr. Marylyn Addo, the head of infectiology at the UKE and leading the clinical study as the responsible investigating physician, said, "We are now considering this principle and investigating whether our MVA vector vaccine is suitable as a booster".
Seeking fully vaccinated study participants
The Paul Ehrlich Institute, the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Pharmaceuticals, and the Ethics Committee of the Medical Council of Hamburg have approved the new booster study. Healthy test subjects 18 to 64 years of age who have been fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty® by BioNTech/Pfizer or Spikevax® by Moderna), with their second vaccination having been administered six months or longer ago can participate in the study. Individuals who have recovered from the COVID-19 illness cannot participate in the study.
The new study includes health screening, an appointment for a vaccination and seven follow-up appointments within a period of approximately seven months. Test subjects will obtain an expense allowance for this. Those interested in participating in the study can register at the CTC North Study Centre. E-mail, phone: (040) 524719 111, www.ctc-north.com.
A phase 1b study on the MVA-SARS-2-ST vector vaccine is being conducted simultaneously
The new study is taking place in parallel with the already running phase 1b study of the MVA-SARS-2-ST vector vaccine, which is being supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), at the CTC North medical contract research organization at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). In this study, the optimized vector vaccine has already been administered to eleven test subjects at the lowest and medium dosage. Initial assessments of this 1b study consistently show good antibody responses by the test subjects.
