NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Respiratory Syncytial Virus, known as “RSV” kills about 14,000 seniors a year. About 177,000 are forced to recover from upper respiratory illness in a hospital, and there’s no vaccine.
Clinical Research Associates, on Church Street in downtown Nashville, is now running a vaccine trial for RSV and is eager to get more patients involved.
“We’ve done previous vaccine studies. The problem was, they didn’t work very well,” said Dr. Stephan Sharp, medical director at Clinical Research Associates. “It turns out there’s a surface protein on RSV that is the target, similar to the spike protein on COVID. It moves. So the vaccines they used in the past would be specific for the shape of the protein after it had already attached to cells.”
The trial is specifically for people 60 years or older, who are fairly healthy. “They are trying to get tens of thousands actually involved. We’re still looking for more people. The study itself is only about half enrolled,” said Dr. Sharp.
“My background is in engineering and so is science,” said Terrie Spetalnick, who is participating in the trial. “When I was at Vanderbilt, I taught a course in research methods and so I’m interested in the science.”
The trial requires a handful of in-person visits with follow-ups over the phone or through a virtual diary.
“They either get the vaccine or placebo and we follow them for a period of 2 years,” explained Sharp. “They have an illness diary. It’s like a cell phone where they let us know if they have been sick or not.”
Sharp says it’s a simple commitment that could protect or save thousands of lives.
“It’s definitely worth it,” said Spetalnick. “It’s been easy. I went to clinical research associates and the office is not far away and easy parking.”
If you would like to participate in the trial, just call 615-329-2222 or click here.