Covid 19 trial18 Nov 2020 15:51
Queen Mary and Barts Health deliver Covid-19 vaccine trial in east London
Londoners are today being urged to join a leading phase three Covid-19 vaccine study, as Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London administer a new trial from the Barts Health Vaccines Trials Centre at Bethnal Green Library.
Published on: 16 November 2020
The latest study, co-funded by the UK government’s Vaccine Taskforce, will test the safety and effectiveness of a new two-dose regimen for a vaccine candidate, developed by The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
The study will recruit up to 30,000 people worldwide with 6,000 of them in the UK, and Barts Health is looking to recruit around 400 participants.
Staff from all hospital sites across Barts Health, together with Queen Mary researchers, will be working together, alongside medical school students and Trust volunteers, to run the trial at the centre.
The public are encouraged to help continue the urgent search for safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines that work for all by volunteering for this phase three trial and help ensure people in the UK have access to different types of vaccines that work for all.
People from all ethnicities encouraged to take part
Covid-19 can affect anyone and everyone, but it disproportionality affects people from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority (BAME) communities. Research has shown that people from BAME communities were more likely to die from Covid-19.
This is evident when we look at the effects of Covid-19 on east London communities, who were severely affected in the first peak of the pandemic.
The Barts Health Vaccines Trials Centre at Bethnal Green Library is therefore encouraging people from all ethnicities, minorities and health groups to take part in this trial to ensure any vaccines developed work for everyone.
Recruitment into the ENSEMBLE-2 study, which will be led by Professor Patrick Kennedy, will complete in March 2021 and the study will last for 12 months.
Contributing to the development of a safe and effective vaccine
Professor Patrick Kennedy, Reader in Hepatology at Queen Mary and Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at Barts Health, said: “While the recent data from the Pfizer phase three study represents a potential major breakthrough in tackling the Covid public health emergency, we will still have to overcome significant challenges before we have a number of safe and effective vaccines which are available globally.
“More vaccine trails are needed to better understand how effective they will be in different age groups, in people with chronic medical conditions and for how long the vaccines will provide immunity.
“I am delighted to be the principal investigator on this study and to be working with an outstanding team at Barts Health so we can address these important questions and contribute to the development of a safe and effective vaccine.”
Chloe Orkin, Professor of HIV Medicine at Qu