Northwestern Launches Registry to Find Coronavirus Vaccine Study Participants

Northwestern Medicine has launched a new registry to seek out participants for trials that will test out potential coronavirus vaccines.

According to a press release from Northwestern, at least 5,000 participants are being sought out for the registry, which will allow researchers to cast a wide net in the search for a vaccine against the illness.

“We want to recruit participants in the Chicago area who are at risk for exposure to COVID-19 and who are potentially interested in participating in different studies for prevention of the infection,” Northwestern physician Dr. Karen Krueger, the principal investigator of the registry, said in a statement.

Participants in the registry will be contacted when a study requires someone with their health profile, according to the university.

Specifically, the registry is seeking individuals ages 18 and older who are working in a job that puts them at high risk of exposure to the virus. This group, according to the school, includes health care workers, grocery store and retail workers, public transportation employees, factor or plant workers, and those who work in congregant living facilities like nursing homes.

The group is also looking for those who are part of communities disproportionately impacted by the virus, including older residents and members of the Black, Latinx and Native-American communities.

The first study is expected to launch in August. The study will be a Phase Three trial of a vaccine produced by AstraZeneca LLC, according to the school.