The University, in partnership with five other universities, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will take part in a new study to help determine the effectiveness of the H1N1 vaccine on asthma sufferers.
Between 350 to 400 people total with mild, moderate and severe asthma will take part in the institutions' studies. Sixty to 70 of those involved are expected to participate in the University's study, said Pediatrics Prof. Ben Gaston, who is leading the study in Charlottesville.
Alkis Togias, NIAID's section chief of asthma and inflammation, said the study will help determine whether it is safe for people with asthma to use the vaccine. Gaston said researchers are concerned not only with the overall effectiveness of the vaccine in people suffering from asthma but are also worried that some medications that treat severe asthma could interfere with the vaccine's inoculating effects.
"This is a very important study for people with asthma given the relatively serious situation," Togias said. "We are very concerned because it's such a vulnerable group."
The swine flu vaccine, Gaston said, triggers a small immune response within the body, while asthma medications seek to curb these types of immune responses. Researchers are attempting to determine the extent to which the vaccine and asthma medications counteract and whether asthma sufferers may need a higher dose of the vaccine, Gaston said.
"The question is whether the dose of the [swine flu] vaccine is adequate," he said.
Researchers can gauge an immune response by measuring the number of antibodies in the blood, Gaston said.
Participants in the study will be given either a 15-microgram dose or a 30-microgram dose of the vaccine and another dose three weeks later. Blood tests will then determine whether the body has produced enough antibodies against swine flu to fight the disease, Gaston said, adding that staff will call participants periodically throughout six months after the vaccine has been administered to ensure that they are still in good health.
The study, which is set to begin this week, will last approximately seven months. The other participating universities include Emory University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Wisconsin, Wake Forest University and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
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