Wanted: people who have not yet received a COVID-19 booster shot

The Clinical Trial Centre (CTC) of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp will evaluate a new vaccine against COVID-19. To do so, the study team is looking for adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and received up to one booster shot. The study will start in November and last for seven months.

Vaccines are the best way to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Six vaccines have already been approved in Europe, but there is always room for improvement; for example, in terms of possible (serious) side effects. That is why Danish Bavarian Nordic developed a new vaccine. The ITM study team will evaluate the safety of the vaccine and the immune response after vaccination.

Patrick Soentjens, principal investigator of this study, advises everyone to get a booster shot, especially with the new ABNCoV2 vaccine: "Studies with a small group of patients already showed that this vaccine leads to high immunity and is very effective (>90%) against the coronavirus and all its variants."

Contribute to science

Anyone who is at least 18 years old, in good health and received a maximum of one booster shot can participate in the Æsir study. Participants are expected to visit the study centre seven times over a seven-month period. They will receive 90 euros per study visit.

Those interested can fill in a short questionnaire on the ITM website to check their eligibility and, if so,   register to participate. They will then be contacted by the study team. 

"The doctors and nurses at the CTC have experience in several COVID-19 vaccination studies. We are pleased that we can make full use of this expertise for the evaluation of this new vaccine," said Yven Van Herrewege, head of the Clinical Trial Centre.

The Clinical Trial Centre, ITM’s brand-new research complex

New vaccines cannot be used just like that. First, thorough tests are needed to determine whether the treatments are safe and effective. Only after going through several stages of testing can new drugs and vaccines be widely used. ITM also conducts such studies, both with academic partners and with partners from the life science sector. The CTC's research team ensures that the studies are conducted in theoptimal conditions.

ITM has other studies ongoing besides the Æsir study. Those interested can register without any obligation. The institute will contact candidates when new studies are launched. Applications can be made through ITM’s website.