MIAMI – Researchers at the University of Miami are searching for about a thousand healthy adult volunteers to participate in coronavirus vaccine trials in South Florida.
Dr. Susanne Doblecki-Lewis, a University of Miami infectious disease expert, said one of the trials is with Cambridge-based biotechnology company Moderna and it starts at the end of this month.
“We do have the infrastructure that is needed to be able to do these kinds of studies,” Doblecki-Lewis said.
The vaccine was already part of a study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It found the vaccine “induced rapid and strong immune responses” against the virus, according to Moderna.
Phase 2 is a dose-confirmation study. Volunteers will receive two vaccinations given 28 days apart. Phase 3 is a placebo-controlled trial that will include about 30,000 participants.
The volunteers must be ages 18 to 55 and should not have had COVID-19. Doblecki-Lewis said they are searching for a diverse group in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity and underlying health issues.
For more information about volunteering, visit the volunteer screening registry page.
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About the Authors:
Hatzel Vela
In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.
Andrea Torres
The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.
