Immune responses to Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine (IMOVA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Immune responses to Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine (IMOVA)
IRAS ID
318671
Contact name
Philip Drennan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Monkeypox is a viral infection which causes fever, lymph node swelling, and painful skin lesions. It’s usually transmitted by direct contact with infected skin or contaminated objects in the environment. Although most people who develop monkeypox recover without any long-term consequences, in rare cases it can be associated with severe disease or even death.
In response to a continuing outbreak affecting multiple countries, WHO declared the current outbreak of monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In response to this outbreak, the UK Health Security agency (UKHSA) have recommended a programme of vaccination, targeting those at highest risk of acquiring the virus. The vaccination used is called modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine (MVA-BN). This vaccine was developed to prevent infection with the Smallpox virus, but is expected to provide protection against monkeypox because they are closely related. Because of the limited experience to date in the use of MVA-BN to prevent monkeypox, there remain several unanswered questions about how best to use it.
This pragmatic observational study aims to gain additional insight into the immune response to MVA-BN in those receiving vaccination as part of their routine clinical care. The study will include people who are scheduled to receive the vaccine as part of the national programme. Potential participants who have been scheduled to receive the vaccine and agree to take part in the study will provide a blood sample prior to vaccination, and at scheduled intervals following vaccination. The study will explore how participants’ immune system and cells respond.
The outputs of this study will provide data to inform decisions around the best vaccination strategy in the future, and therefore contribute to efforts to control this virus and prevent infections.
REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1425
Date of REC Opinion
22 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion