How Will New Vaccines for the Coronavirus Affect People at Risk for Blood Cancer?
This week’s news that significant progress on the development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine has many of us hopeful that a safe and effective vaccine will be available in 2021. As we prepare for the vaccine’s arrival, now is a critical time to understand how the vaccine may affect the millions of people with weaker immune systems. Therefore, we are extremely excited about the launch of The IMPACT Study.
PI Irene Ghobrial, M.D., Lead Investigator at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, explains more about the vaccine and its potential to help people with risks for blood cancer.
In this video, Irene Ghobrial, M.D., the study’s principal investigator at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, explains that the IMPACT Study will analyze the blood samples of people who are at risk for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Before a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, people will have precursor conditions. One common precursor condition is MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) which may remain harmless and undetected by many people, but it may also progress to smoldering myeloma, in which symptoms may develop.
We seek people who may have these risk factors, and we also seek participants who do not have these risks but are included in risk groups. Risk groups who qualify for the study include anyone who is African American and age 40 to 75. Anyone with a first degree family member (like a parent, sibling or child) who has been diagnosed with a myeloma or one of its precursor conditions is also qualified to join.
From the blood samples collected, the research team will identify who has been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, learn if and how their immune systems have been affected, and identify who may be at risk of coronavirus with worse outcomes and who not.
Study participants will learn their results of their COVID-19 antibody test and will be regularly updated on study findings.
To learn more about The IMPACT Study and sign up, enroll here. The IMPACT Study is an affiliate study of the PROMISE or PCROWD Studies so people must be enrolled in one of these studies in order to participate.
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