Thousands of Hoosiers stepped up to participate within days of the study being announced.
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University School of Medicine announced today that several Hoosier volunteers are now enrolled in the late stage clinical study of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine known as AZD1222, taking place at IU Health University Hospital.
Within days of announcing IU School of Medicine as one of the study sites, more than 3,000 Hoosiers created volunteer profiles through All IN for Health, a program of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). The Indiana CTSI is a research partnership among Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, created to educate the Indiana public about health research, including clinical studies, like the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial.
“We would like to thank the more than 3,000 Hoosiers who signed up as volunteers to participate in this vaccine study,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, dean of IU School of Medicine and IU’s executive vice president for university clinical affairs. “Your commitment to helping us advance life-saving medical research is deeply appreciated and valued.”
The Indianapolis-based site is led by Cynthia Brown, MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine. As Brown’s study team looks to enroll more than 1,000 volunteers in eight weeks, they are screening the All IN for Health database to select participants that are representative of the demographics of Indianapolis. Because COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black and Latino families, study leaders are encouraging people from all backgrounds to join the study.