OF
OF OUR
OF OUR STATE, ANYONE 16
AND
AND OLDER
AND OLDER IS NOW ELIGIBLE TO GET A COVID VACCINE AND ON
MONDAY ALL IDAHOANS
16 PLUS WILL BE ELIGIBLE.
THE VACCINES AVAILABLE
WERE GIVEN AN
EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION. THEY
WERE TESTED FOR SAFETY
BUT TECHNICALLY HAVE
NOT FINISHED THE ENTIRE
CLINICAL TRIAL CYCLE.
THAT WORK CONTINUES.
AND DID YOU KNOW
IDAHO IS HOST TO SOME
OF THAT REALLY
IMPORTANT RESEARCH?
JOE PARRIS SPOKE WITH
ADVANCED SPECIALTY
RESEARCH IN NAMPA
ABOUT TWO OF THEIR
CURRENT COVID
RESEARCH PROJECTS.
WHILE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF
IDAHOANS HAVE
RECEIVED A COVID
VACCINE, RESEARCH
VACCINE, RESEARCH
TEAMS
TEAMS CONTINUE TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINES AND HOW
THEY INTERACT WITH THE
HUMAN BODY. ADVANCED
SPECIALTY RESEARCH IN
NAMPA IS CURRENTLY
WORKING TWO DIFFERENT
COVID VACCINE STUDIES.
"THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE
PARTICIPATING IN TRIALS
AND WE ARE STILL
COLLECTING DATA." -
JENNIFER PORALLA
JENNIFER PORALLA IS THE
DIRECTOR OF ASR. SHE
SAYS THEIR RESEARCH
CURRENTLY INCLUDES
COVID VACCINES BUT
EXTENDS FAR BEYOND
THAT AS WELL.
"WE ARE A LOCAL
RESEARCH COMPANY
THAT WORKS WITH SMALL
BIO-PHARMA'S THAT ARE
JUST IN THE STARTING
PHASE OF SOME KIND OF
A DRUG OR DEVICE ALL
THE WAY UP TO THE
LARGE PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES THAT
ALREADY HAVE DRUGS
AND DEVICES ON THE
MARKET."
THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC CREATED A
NEED FOR A VACCINE,
AND THAT VACCINE
NEEDED TO BE PUT
THROUGH CLINICAL
RESEARCH. ASR WAS
ASKED TO JOIN STUDIES
AND DID AFTER INITIAL
SAFETY PHASES FOR
VACCINES WERE CLEARED.
RIGHT NOW, ASR IS
WORKING ON A STUDY
ABOUT HOW THE PFIZER
VACCINE INTERACTS WITH
PREGNANT WOMEN.
PORALLA EXPLAINS HOW
IT WORKS.
"THEY COME IN AND THEY
HAVE A FULL SAFETY LAB
DONE ON THEM TO MAKE
SURE THEY ARE
APPROPRIATE FOR IT AND
THEN AT THAT POINT WE
BRING THEM BACK IN AND
DO THE TRADITIONAL
VACCINE JUST LIKE YOU
WOULD IF YOU WERE OUT
AT THE PHARMACY. YOU
WOULD
WOULD COME IN DAY ONE AND GET A VACCINE AND 21 DAYS LATER YOU
GET ANOTHER ONE. THEN
WE FOLLOW YOU AND THE
BABY FOR A YEAR."
PARTICIPANTS ARE
CLOSELY MONITORED
THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC
DIARY THEY ARE GIVEN BY
ASR ALONG WITH
ROUTINE VISITS. NOTES
FROM THE PARTICIPANT
ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL
AFTER GETTING THE
VACCINE ALONG WITH
TESTS PROVIDES
EXTREMELY VALUABLE
DATA.
"WE LET THE
PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANY KNOW, IT ALL
GETS ENTERED IN AND
THEY LOOK AT ALL THE
INTERIM ANALYSIS AND
THAT IS KIND OF HOW ALL
THOSE SIDE EFFECTS
COME INTO PLAY WHEN
YOU LISTEN TO CUTE
LITTLE SPIEL THAT GOES
ON, YOU MAY HAVE THIS,
THIS, AND THIS. WE ARE
THE ONES THAT COLLECT
THAT DATA."
CLINICAL RESEARCH GIVES
A GLIMPSE OF THE
MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS
OF TOMORROW. FOR
EXAMPLE, ASR IS
WORKING ON CLINICAL
RESEARCH ON A NEW
PLANT BASED MEDICAGO
COVID VACCINE NOT
AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
YET. IT HAS PASSED SAFETY
PHASES BUT IS NOW IN
EFFICACY TESTING.
"ULTIMATELY WHAT IT'S
DOING ON ANY OF THE
ONES I'VE SEEN SO FAR IS
IT'S ACTUALLY ENTERING
YOUR BODY ACTING LIKE
THE VIRUS, SO YOUR BODY
BUILDS ANTIBODIES TO IT.
THE MINUTE IT
RECOGNIZES IT'S
RECOGNIZES IT'S
PLANT
PLANT BASED MEDICAGO COVID VACCINE NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
YET. IT HAS PASSED SAFETY
PHASES BUT IS NOW IN
EFFICACY TESTING.
"ULTIMATELY WHAT IT'S
DOING ON ANY OF THE
ONES I'VE SEEN SO FAR IS
IT'S
IT'S ACTUALLY ENTERING YOUR BODY ACTING LIKE THE VIRUS, SO YOUR BODY
BUILDS ANTIBODIES TO IT.
THE MINUTE IT
RECOGNIZES IT'S
SOMETHING FOREIGN IT'S
GOING TO GO AHEAD AND
REACT."
CLINICAL RESEARCH IS
CRUCIAL WORK, PORALLA
SAYS PARTICIPANTS IN
STUDIES ARE EXTREMELY
VALUABLE. CLINICS
GREATLY APPRECIATE THE
RISKS THEY TAKE TO TRY
AND HELP OTHERS.
"YOU AS A HEALTHY
INDIVIDUAL IS SAYING YOU
KNOW WHAT, I AM
WILLING TO HELP SCIENCE.
I WANT TO FIGURE OUT IF
WE CAN HELP THE
GENERAL POPULATION.
SO, YOU GO THROUGH AN
INFORMED CONSENT
PROCESS AND YOU HAVE
TO READ THROUGH IT
AND SIGN IT AND AGREE
TO IT. ONCE YOU ARE
GIVEN A DRUG, YOU
DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS
GOING TO REACT WITHIN
YOUR
YOUR PARTICULAR BODY BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT."
WITH THAT SAID THOUGH,
ASR KNOWS HOW
CRUCIAL IT IS FOR THEIR
VETERAN STAFF OF
LONGTIME IDAHO
MEDICAL EXPERTS TO TAKE
GREAT CARE OF THEIR
PARTICIPANTS, WHATEVER
THAT MAY TAKE.
"IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO KNOW THAT WE CARE
ABOUT EACH ONE OF OUR
PARTICIPANTS AND WE
WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY,
HEALTHY, AND SAFE. IT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE TRY
TO THEM LIKE FAMILY AND
MAKE SURE THAT THEY
KNOW WE CAN'T BE HERE
WITHOUT THEM. WE SURE
APPRECIATE ANYBODY
AND EVERYBODY THAT
PARTICIPATES IN
RESEARCH NOT JUST WITH
OUR SITE BUT ANY SITE
ANYWHERE BECAUSE WE
CAN'T HAVE GREAT
WONDERFUL MEDICINES
WITHOUT WONDERFUL
WITHOUT WONDERFUL
PARTICIPANTS."
ARE
ARE PEOPLE NEEDED FOR THEIR STUDIES STILL?