The Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford has launched a new vaccine trial to enhance the design of both influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.
Funded by the Medical Research Council part of UK Research and Innovation, the LEGACY03 trial will contribute to future vaccine designs to enhance protection for those most vulnerable to diseases.
As the immune systems changes with age, the body’s response to vaccines evolves. Additionally, the risk of complications from infections increases, and therefore, better-tailored vaccines are essential to achieve maximum efficacy and protect the most vulnerable.
Recent results from two AstraZeneca studies highlighted the continued significant and disproportionate burdens of COVID-19 on immunocompromised individuals.
Based at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine at Churchill Hospital in Oxford, the new vaccine study will test cell responses in lymph nodes and compare the changes in reactions.
Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs that are located all over the body. After a vaccine is administered in the arm, white blood cells deliver the vaccine to the lymph nodes in the armpit to initiate a response.
The study is aiming to enrol adults between the ages of 18 and 45 or individuals aged 65 years and over. Participants will receive two vaccines: an mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccine and a seasonal flu jab. Both have been licensed for use in adults and the seasonal flu vaccine is recommended for older adults.
Following vaccination, cells from participants’ lymph nodes will be sampled using fine needle aspiration, a safe and well-tolerated procedure that takes cells and fluids from a lymph node using a fine needle.
Findings from the study are expected to help researchers develop vaccines to offer great protection to vulnerable people and improve vaccines for different age groups.
Dr Katrina Pollock, Medical Research Council clinician scientist in vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, department of paediatrics, said: “This study will take an innovative look at individual immune responses using vaccinations as a tool to investigate human immunity at the cellular level.
“This will help us to tailor future vaccine designs to get a better outcome for patients across the board.”