The scientific community continues to devote great efforts to understanding all aspects of COVID-19, but a key question that has not yet been answered is how long the currently available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will protect against the virus.

In order to gain further insight into this important issue, AACC is launching the COVID-19 Immunity Study, which will examine immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a large cohort of volunteers who are diverse in areas such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, vaccine regimens, and geography. The study will also further examine the utility of serologic tests as a means to measure lasting immunity.

Sign up to participate by completing a 10-minute health questionnaire.

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE

PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY

Blood samples for this study will be collected September 28-30 at the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta. 

At the meeting, the study site will be located in the B/C connector location of the Clinical Lab Expo hall, which is near the AACC booth.

You can donate a blood sample during the following hours:

If you donate a blood sample during off hours (before 9:30 a.m. or after 5 p.m.), enter the Clinical Lab Expo hall via the C3/C4 entrance.

We are asking all registered meeting attendees and exhibitors who are 18 years of age and older to consider donating blood for the study to ensure that the research cohort is as diverse as possible and to help find the answers to these essential questions. This approach to sample collection is modeled after AACC’s Universal Sample Bank program, which used samples from attendees of the 2015 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting in support of important research related to troponin.

People who aren’t able to attend the meeting in person also have the opportunity to contribute to the study by submitting answers to the COVID-19 health questionnaire. Completing the questionnaire will take about 10 minutes. 

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE

BENEFITS FOR STUDY PARTICIPANTS

In return for donating blood, study participants will receive the results of their individual antibody profile tests after all the collected samples have been analyzed.

Participants who complete the online health questionnaire and start the consenting process online by 7:59 a.m. US Eastern Time on September 28, in advance of the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, will be entered into a drawing for one of two iPads. This health survey will stay open until 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on September 30.

Every blood donor will also be entered into a drawing for one of two complimentary registrations to the 2022 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Caitlin Ondracek, PhD, AACC Associate Director of Science & Practice Programs, at condracek@aacc.org.

The investigator for this study is Dr. Robert Christenson, 685 W. Baltimore St., MSTF 865, Baltimore, MD 21201.