Monday, 01 November 2021
The University of Nottingham Health Service, at Cripps Medical Centre on University Park, is recruiting for a study looking at Covid-19 vaccine schedules in young people.
Experts are looking to recruit fifty 12-16-year-olds to find out how well they respond to two different doses of Covid-19 vaccine, and will then compare three different vaccines at different doses.
The aim is to find out if giving two doses of different vaccines produces as good an immune response as giving two doses of the same vaccine, in young people.
The aim is to find out if giving two doses of different vaccines produces as good an immune response as giving two doses of the same vaccine, in young people.
The study (Com-COV3) is part of the University of Oxford-led Com-COV (Comparing Covid-19 Vaccine Schedule Combinations) programme, which is funded by the Vaccines Taskforce and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and run across four NIHR-supported sites by the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium.
Participants will either receive two Covid-19 vaccine doses in the study, in which case their first dose will be the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Alternatively, those who have already received their dose of Pfizer through the NHS can be enrolled at the time of their second dose.
All participants will be randomly allocated at the time of the second dose to receive either a full or one-third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a full dose of the Novavax vaccine or a half dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Participants will not know which vaccine they have received until four weeks after the second vaccination.
Com-COV3 is part of our vital work into better understanding how the different vaccines available in the UK can be used to give the best and most effective immune response to Covid-19. We are still in the early stages of vaccinating young people, and this work is vital in ensuring the next stage of the vaccine roll out is successful.”
Professor Matthew Snape, Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, is Chief Investigator on the trial. He said: ‘This study will provide vital information on the range of options for immunising teenagers against Covid-19 in the UK.
“As well as looking at the standard two full doses of the Pfizer vaccine, we will look at how well volunteers respond when their second dose of Pfizer is one third that of the first dose, or if different vaccines are used altogether, such as the vaccines manufactured by Moderna or Novavax. This will provide the JCVI with information crucial to informing their advice about immunising teenagers in the UK.”
Experts hope to report initial results by December – if the results are promising, regulators MHRA and JCVI would formally assess the safety and efficacy of any new vaccination process before advising whether it is rolled out to patients.
Volunteers will need to be recruited during the first two weeks of November. People interested in taking part can find more information and details on how to sign up here.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…