Mayo Clinic readies for Covid vaccine trials at its Rochester campus
In an effort to “help vaccinate the world,” Mayo Clinic announced the creation of a local Covid-19 vaccine registry Monday — intended to give Rochester-area residents a shot at being a small part of large-scale vaccine trial runs, before they are distributed worldwide.
The registry’s creators say the three vaccines currently making headlines (Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca/Oxford) aren’t included in the study. Rather, those that sign up will be put on a list to possibly receive one of nearly 200 vaccines currently in the testing phase.
When those companies eventually need trial participants — numbering in the thousands, per FDA guidelines — the Clinic will look to the registry to provide those companies the participants they need.
“We are starting this registry now so that when the time comes, we are positioned to quickly reach out to individuals who may be interested in participating,” said Dr. David Phelan, principal investigator of the registry. “Our goal is to ensure scientific advances benefit our patients as quickly as possible.”
Dr. Phelan added that the Clinic would actively seek out participants from minority and underrepresented communities, citing the need to accurately represent the true makeup of Rochester in any study. Clinic reps say that the registry team has been in contact with various community leaders to ensure all pockets of Rochester are afforded the opportunity to participate.
“In order to make sure we have an effective vaccine, we need to make sure all groups are looked at,” said Dr. Phelan. “We already know from other vaccine trials that different ages and different groups may respond to the vaccine differently, so it’s important that we include diverse participants in these studies.”
The announcement of the registry comes just days after Mayo Clinic rolled out a new monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-positive patients called bamlanivimab, capable of shortening the time it takes for symptoms to resolve by two days and cutting the risk of hospitalization in half for Covid-positive senior citizens.
Coupled with recent improvements in testing accuracy and capacity, Dr. Andrew Badley, chairman of the Clinic’s COVID Research Task Force, says Mayo’s response to the virus is now threefold: testing, tracing and reducing spread; preventing new cases through vaccines; and improving symptoms in positive cases with bamlanivimab.
“The vaccine is intended to prevent disease, while the antibody treatment is intended to reduce the symptoms of Covid and, hopefully, lower the risk of hospitalization,” said Dr. Badley. “These are different, unrelated, but synergistic activities that contribute to the global response that Mayo is putting together,” said Dr. Badley.
Dr. Phelan said the Clinic is finalizing details on one study right now, with the hope of getting people enrolled in various trials in the coming months. The registry, he added, will likely remain active for several years as new vaccines continue to hit the market.
Sign up for the registry by following this link — available in seven languages.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Cover photo: file / licensed via Getty
