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Scientists from all over the world are racing to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.

Here in the D.C. area, researchers at the National Institutes of Health are conducting an important clinical trial, and they’re looking for people ages 56 and older to help test a vaccine. 

This clinical trial will evaluate the mRNA-1273 vaccine. 

“From every volunteer, we gain insight into how the vaccine interacts with the immune system and how much of an immune response it generates,” wrote Dr. Alicia Widge, the Vaccine Research Center site’s principal investigator for the current vaccine clinical trial, in an email. 

Older adults will play a critical role in the study. The trial, which began with just 45 participants on March 16, has been expanded to include an additional 60 participants: 30 adults ages 56 to 70 years and 30 adults over age 71.

“The more information we gather about this vaccine —specifically in older adults, who are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection — the better equipped we are to advance a safe and efficacious vaccine,” Widge said. “The results of this trial will also help inform the design of follow-up studies.”

It’s a “phase 1” clinical trial, the first step toward unrolling a vaccine to the general public. “Phase 1 clinical trials give us insight into the safety of, and immune response to, novel products,” Widge said. 

Once enrolled, participants would visit the NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, a total of 11 times over approximately 14 months. They would receive two doses of the vaccine candidate via a shot in the arm.

The in-person visits include an initial clinical screening visit to determine eligibility, two vaccination appointments scheduled one month apart, and follow-up visits, according to Widge. Volunteers will be compensated for their time and inconvenience.

The clinical trial is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

For more information or to enroll, email VRCCOVIDtrials@nih.gov or call 1-866-833-5433.