Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1363384
Sounding the Call About Vaccines N ADDITION TO ITS RESEARCH EFFORTS, UI Health is taking a new role: educating the community about the benefits of vaccines through a group of credible messengers called the Vaccine Corps. "We are not only in a medical pandemic but also unemployment and loss-of-trust epidemics that are pulling at the fabric of the U.S.," says Jerry Krishnan, MD, PhD, associate vice chancellor for population health sciences at UIC. Partnering with 35 private and public health systems and community organizations, the Vaccine Corps aims to create a group of trusted messengers who can dispel myths and address concerns about the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, they will provide transportation and logistical support to those who want to get vaccinated. The Vaccine Corps will be an "earn while you learn" program. "We are building the curriculum, and our ambition is to have 100,000 members of the Vaccine Corps who can provide fact-based conversations to support decision-making," says Krishnan. tions, including healthcare workers and the elderly, were prioritized to receive dosages by early 2021. Moderna alone estimates that it will manufacture 500 million to 1 billion doses globally in 2021. According to Operation Warp Speed, enough corona- virus vaccine doses should be available to inoculate the entire U.S. adult population by summer, delivered in one of the great- est logistical efforts ever attempted. "UIC is a major contributor in bring- ing the Moderna vaccine to reality," says Novak. "We are proud of our participa- tion and partnership with other academic institutions around the country." Other vaccines are on the way TWELVE OTHER VACCINE CAN- DIDATES are still in late phase trials, which Novak says is further good news. "We need many companies to produce the number of doses that will be needed to vaccinate people worldwide," he says. UI Health's vaccine research also has included participation in the phase 3 trial for Johnson & Johnson's optimized Ad26 vector-based vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. This single-dose vaccine uses AdVac, the same technology the company employed in the development of its Ebola vaccine and investigational HIV, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Zika vaccines. The vaccine candidates use an inactivated "viral vector"—a version of the adenovirus 26 (Ad26) cold virus—to transport part and safety monitoring board. The results showed that with an efficacy rate of 94.1%, the vaccine is safe and effective at prevent- ing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults. The primary efficacy analysis was based on 196 symptomatic cases of CO- VID-19, 185 in the placebo group and only 11 in the vaccinated group. Efficacy against severe COVID-19 was at 100%, with no cases among those who had received the vaccine. No significant safety concerns were reported. "The Moderna vaccine worked equally as well among the elderly and for minorities," says Novak. "Pfizer's results showed a 95% efficacy rate. Between the Pfizer and Moderna clinical studies, 75,000 participated with nearly identical results. It's irrefutable evidence of efficacy, and people should have tremendous confidence in the vaccine." Next steps for the vaccines DESIGNED AS A TWO-YEAR STUDY, COVE will continue to provide valu- able information. Data showed that study participants who received the Moderna vaccine still had elevated antibodies three months after their second dose. "We'll continue to monitor participants to gain additional durability data about how long the vaccine lasts," says Novak. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in December, without cutting any corners on regulatory review. Highest risk popula- of the pathogen's genetic code into the body to stimulate the body's immune response. Launched last September, Johnson & Johnson's phase 3 trial enrolled more than 40,000 participants across three continents. With funding of more than $1 million from NIAID and BARDA, UI Health enrolled more than 110 volunteers through its clinics and by partnering with St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago. The vaccine was found to be 72% effective, and Johnson & Johnson received Emergency Use Authorization in late February. Testing therapeutics WHILE VACCINE DEVELOPMENT HOLDS HOPE of a return to normalcy, it is only part of the story on COVID-19 research. The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System also has played a key role in testing potential therapeutics in a number of clinical trials. "Conducting research during a pandemic is not something we had done before," Krishnan says. "At the outset, we did not know as much as we know now about how to keep people safe at work. We also had a national shortage of personal protective equipment. So we asked our staff to work from home. To conduct studies in patients with COVID-19, we needed to figure out if our research staff would be willing to come back to work in our hospital, emergency department and clinics. We needed to learn how to obtain informed consent, collect and analyze blood samples, and conduct other study activities safely. In short, we needed to learn how to work differently." Novak and Krishnan took the lead in different trials focusing on COVID-19 treat- ment, beginning with an antiviral medicine, remdesivir, that the FDA approved for patients 12 years and older on Oct. 22, 2020. The UI Health researchers also have been investigating immunomodulators, drugs that minimize the effects of an overactive immune system; monoclonal antibodies, laboratory- made proteins that mimic the immune response; and antithrombotics, drugs that prevent blood clots. The possibilities of repurposing IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, the federal government worked with industry to catalog existing treatments to see if they could be repurposed against COVID-19. Novak worked on two trials with remdesivir, which was previously used I 14 | Spring 2021