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Most Maryland residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — 62%, as of press time. But vaccine protection fades over time, so we may need to roll up our sleeves again for a booster shot.

When is the best time to get a booster shot: six months, nine months or even a year after the last dose?

This year scientists at the National Institute on Aging are trying to answer that question. They’re looking for about 100 volunteers in this area to participate in a study that could shed light on the immune system’s response to the vaccine and how it changes as time goes on.

“One question we have is, how long does the vaccine protect you? If you track the immune response of an individual over time, you can detect the…subsequent decline of the vaccine response,” said Nan-ping Weng, principal investigator of the study.

Weng’s team is tracking the body’s immune response to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at six months and a year after the shot. He also hopes to determine why the virus has such a devastating effect on older adults.

“The booster question is secondary but not the original aim [of the study],” Weng said. “We wanted to know: Can we detect the T-cell response to the vaccine and whether older people have weakened T-cell response?”

Who can participate?

All Maryland residents over age 18 who have not contracted COVID-19 are eligible to participate in this clinical trial. People who are not vaccinated will make up to seven trips to the clinic, while vaccinated people will make up to three visits.

They can choose one of two sites to visit for study procedures: the NIH/National Institute on Aging Clinical Research Unit at MedStar Harbor Hospital or the NIH/NIA/Biomedical Research Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview campus in Baltimore.

MedStar Harbor Hospital is located in south Baltimore off I-95 on South Hanover Street. The Bayview campus is located on Eastern Avenue near Greektown. Free parking is available at both locations.

At each visit, researchers will measure height and weight; ask general health questions; and take a blood sample. Then they’ll look for T-cells in those samples.

T-cells, a type of lymphocyte, seek out and destroy cells infected by viruses or other microorganisms. Thus, they prevent a virus from multiplying in the cells and body.

“The T-cell is able to eliminate these infected cells,” Weng said. “That allows the immune system to stop the virus replication.”

Vaccines trigger T-cells to respond, too.

“So we’re looking at these T-cells, which we measure by number and by function, and we see if those cells change over time,” Weng said. “Six months from now or one year from now, do [participants] have the same number of T-cells in the blood?’”

Why do people differ?

The immune system is notoriously complicated and is shaped by an individual’s lifelong experience with different pathogens. As most of us know from experience, some people’s immune systems are more robust than others.

“One person may have a longer-lasting vaccine-induced immune protection than another person,” Weng said. That keeps his job interesting. “It’s a highly dynamic situation to measure in the human population.”

People who participate in the study will be compensated for their time. They’ll also be helping scientists find out more about how to defeat the virus.

“We’re in such a crisis,” Weng said. “It’s important to study all ages of adults to determine how older adults differ from younger ones. Our study allows anyone, at any age, to participate.”

For more information or to volunteer to participate, call (410) 350-3941 or email niastudiesrecruitment@mail.nih.gov and mention study #383.