NAMPA, Idaho — While thousands of Idahoans have received a COVID-19 vaccine, research teams continue to study the effectiveness of vaccines and how they interact with the human body. Advanced Specialty Research in Nampa is currently working on two different COVID-19 vaccine studies.
“There are still people participating in trials and we are still collecting data,” said Jennifer Poralla, the director of Advanced Specialty Research.
Poralla said their research currently includes COVID-19 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,” Poralla said.
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.
Currently, ASR is on the cutting edge, working on a study about how the Pfizer vaccine interacts with pregnant women.
“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 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,” Poralla explained.
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,” Poralla said.
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-19 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 something foreign it’s going to go ahead and react,” Poralla said.
Clinical research is crucial work and Poralla said 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 particular body because everybody is different,” Poralla said.
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 participants,” Poralla said.
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