Evaluating the Effects of the COVID Vaccine on Transplant Patients: New Penn Medicine Study Recruiting Participants

The Penn Transplant Institute, a national leader in transplant research, has launched an important new research study, called “Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-COVID-19 Vaccine in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients and Candidates.”  The study was designed to evaluate the effects of the COVID vaccine on transplant patients.

Who Is Eligible to Participate?

Pre-transplant candidates and patients who are a minimum of 30 days post heart, liver, lung or kidney transplant are eligible to participate in this important research.

“This study is of vital importance to the transplant clinical community because, to date, the vaccine has not been tested in this group of patients,” notes the study’s primary investigator, Emily Blumberg, MD, Director, Transplant Infectious Disease at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “The outcomes of this study may help us better understand how well the vaccine works in transplant patients and whether there are any unique issues related to giving the vaccine to these patients.”

What’s Involved in the Study?

Study participants will donate blood six times:

• Before the first vaccine dose
• Before the second vaccine dose
• 1 month after the second dose
• 3 months after the second dose
• 6 months after the second dose
• 12 months after the second dose

Blood samples will be drawn in the 2 PCAM Transplant Clinic lab, and study participants will receive a call about one week after both the first and second dose to see if they have had any side effects from the vaccine. There is no cost to patients to participate in the study.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact: Mary Shaw, RN, at 215-908-3162

Are you also curious about the technology behind the COVID-19 vaccine? Visit our mRNA vaccines page.