Immunity, MucosalNCT01132859
VRC 900: Evaluation of Tissue-Specific Immune Responses in Adults 18 Years of Age and Older
An observational study of Immunity, Mucosal and Immune System Processes, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Background: The Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is dedicated to understanding immune responses associated with prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. To study these immune responses, researchers need to collect specimens and images from individuals who have recently had a vaccination or recovered from an… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 120 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Immunity, Mucosal, Immune System Processes, Blood Specimen Collection
- How many people
- 500 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 18 May 2010to not given
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 120 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Participants 18 years of age or older willing to donate blood and tissue specimens and participate in imaging studies to evaluate the components of the immune system.
Who may be able to join
- 18 years of age or older.
- Able to provide proof of identity to the satisfaction of the study clinician completing the enrollment process.
- Able and willing to complete the informed consent process.
- Willing to donate specimens for storage to be used for research.
Who cannot join
- Any medical, psychiatric, occupational condition or other condition that, in the judgment of the investigator, is a contraindication to protocol participation or impairs a participant s ability to give informed consent.
- Bleeding disorder diagnosed by a doctor (e.g., factor deficiency, coagulopathy, or platelet disorder requiring special precautions), use of anticoagulant medications for an ongoing medical condition, significant bruising or bleeding difficulties with intramuscular injections or blood draws. [Note: Participants taking anticoagulants, such as aspirin, prophylactically may be considered on a case to case basis.]
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
VRC Clinic, 301-451-8715, vaccines@nih.gov
About this study
Background:
- The Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is dedicated to understanding immune responses associated with prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. To study these immune responses, researchers need to collect specimens and images from individuals who have recently had a vaccination or recovered from an infection. These specimens and images are used to study different diseases and immune responses, and can be used to investigate ways to prevent or treat different medical conditions.
Read more
Objectives:
- To evaluate blood and other tissue samples for immune responses to vaccines and natural infections.
Eligibility:
- Healthy volunteers at least 18 years of age who agree to donate specimens for research purposes.
Design:
- Participants will have clinical evaluations and will be asked to provide some of the following samples, depending on the research question being addressed. All procedures and sample donations are optional and voluntary:
- Blood samples through regular blood draws (for whole blood) and apheresis (to collect specific parts of the blood such as plasma or white blood cells)
- Urine, semen, saliva, or vaginal swab samples
- Tissue samples or biopsy specimens
- Undergo procedures such as bronchoscopy (lung and respiratory tract), gastrointestinal endoscopy (stomach and upper intestinal tract), or colonoscopy (lower intestinal tract) to obtain tissue samples
- Undergo imaging studies such as positron emission tomography (PET) or computed tomography (CT) scans
Duration of participation is variable depending on the research question but will usually last up to 1 year.
- Participants will be compensated for participation.
Read the detailed description
Protocol Design:
This is a specimen and data collection protocol designed with the research purpose of understanding the immune responses to vaccines and infections in adult participants. The information gained will enhance the knowledge of immune correlates of protection and will help in laboratory work related to the development and validation of immunological assays. This protocol will allow Vaccine Research Center (VRC) investigators and collaborators to evaluate tissue level immune responses in participants who are recipients of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed vaccines, recipients of investigational vaccines, control subjects, and participants naturally infected with infectious diseases as examples of naturally acquired immunity. Immune responses will be evaluated using collection of blood, body fluids, mucosal and tissue samples to perform clinical evaluations for research rather than therapeutic goals. Imaging using ultrasonography may be employed to image tissues such as lymph nodes to guide sampling. Detailed studies of immune responses in blood, body fluids and a diversity of tissue types, including a variety of mucosal surfaces, will further the understanding of immune responses following vaccination or recovery from an infectious disease and will advance development of vaccines against existing, new, and re-emerging pathogens.
Subjects:
Up to 500 participants 18 years of age and older who agree to collection, use, and storage of specimens and images for research purposes will be enrolled. Participants must not be pregnant or breast-feeding for certain study sample collection procedures or to receive FDA-licensed live virus vaccines.
Study Plan:
Participants will receive information about study procedures and, if willing to participate, will sign the study informed consent. FDA-licensed vaccines may be administered to some study participants as part of study participation. As per NIH Clinical Center (CC) policy, where appropriate, participants will provide additional informed consent for study procedures.
Duration:
Individual participants may donate samples as often as permitted by the protocol and NIH CC guidelines. The CC guidance on the volume of blood drawn and other inpatient/outpatient procedures will be followed. The protocol will undergo continuing review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) annually.
- Keywords
- Specimen Collection, Mucosal Immunity, Immune Responses, Immunity, Vaccines, Natural History, Healthy Volunteer, HV
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Participants 18 years of age or older willing to donate blood and tissue specimens and participate in imaging studies to evaluate the components of the immune system |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
To use specimens and accumulated data for enhancement of understanding the correlates of immune protection.
By sample collection and imaging studies
Measured: Throughout the study
To evaluate blood, body fluid, and tissue immune responses and pathogen dynamics of naturally infected and antigen-na(SqrRoot) ve subjects
By sample collection and imaging studies
Measured: Throughout the study
To evaluate innate, humoral, and cellular immune responses and pathogen dynamics in the context of vaccination in the blood, body fluids, excretions, and tissues
By sample collection and imaging studies
Measured: Throughout the study
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 May 2010 (estimated)
- Study start18 May 2010
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Immunity, MucosalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)The sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 500 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Lesia K Dropulic, M.D., Principal investigator, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01132859
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 100109
- Other IDs
- 10-I-0109
- Status last verified
- 9 Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 27 May 2010
- Last updated
- 16 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Querec TD, Akondy RS, Lee EK, Cao W, Nakaya HI, Teuwen D, Pirani A, Gernert K, Deng J, Marzolf B, Kennedy K, Wu H, Bennouna S, Oluoch H, Miller J, Vencio RZ, Mulligan M, Aderem A, Ahmed R, Pulendran B. Systems biology approach predicts immunogenicity of the yellow fever vaccine in humans. Nat Immunol. 2009 Jan;10(1):116-125. doi: 10.1038/ni.1688. Epub 2008 Nov 23.
PubMed 19029902Wrammert J, Miller J, Akondy R, Ahmed R. Human immune memory to yellow fever and smallpox vaccination. J Clin Immunol. 2009 Mar;29(2):151-7. doi: 10.1007/s10875-008-9267-3. Epub 2008 Dec 4.
PubMed 19052852Plotkin SA. Vaccines: the fourth century. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2009 Dec;16(12):1709-19. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00290-09. Epub 2009 Sep 30.
PubMed 19793898Herrin DM, Coates EE, Costner PJ, Kemp TJ, Nason MC, Saharia KK, Pan Y, Sarwar UN, Holman L, Yamshchikov G, Koup RA, Pang YY, Seder RA, Schiller JT, Graham BS, Pinto LA, Ledgerwood JE. Comparison of adaptive and innate immune responses induced by licensed vaccines for Human Papillomavirus. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(12):3446-54. doi: 10.4161/hv.34408.
PubMed 25483691
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- VRC 900: Evaluation of Tissue-Specific Immune Responses in Adults 18 Years of Age and Older
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01132859
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 100109
- Keywords
- Specimen Collection, Mucosal Immunity, Immune Responses, Immunity, Vaccines, Natural History, Healthy Volunteer, HV
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 500 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- 18 May 2010 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 May 2010 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Background:
- The Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is dedicated to understanding immune responses associated with prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. To study these immune responses, researchers need to collect specimens and images from individuals who have recently had a vaccination or recovered from an infection. These specimens and images are used to study different diseases and immune responses, and can be used to investigate ways to prevent or treat different medical conditions.
Objectives:
- To evaluate blood and other tissue samples for immune responses to vaccines and natural infections.
Eligibility:
- Healthy volunteers at least 18 years of age who agree to donate specimens for research purposes.
Design:
- Participants will have clinical evaluations and will be asked to provide some of the following samples, depending on the research question being addressed. All procedures and sample donations are optional and voluntary:
- Blood samples through regular blood draws (for whole blood) and apheresis (to collect specific parts of the blood such as plasma or white blood cells)
- Urine, semen, saliva, or vaginal swab samples
- Tissue samples or biopsy specimens
- Undergo procedures such as bronchoscopy (lung and respiratory tract), gastrointestinal endoscopy (stomach and upper intestinal tract), or colonoscopy (lower intestinal tract) to obtain tissue samples
- Undergo imaging studies such as positron emission tomography (PET) or computed tomography (CT) scans
Duration of participation is variable depending on the research question but will usually last up to 1 year.
- Participants will be compensated for participation.
Detailed description
Protocol Design:
This is a specimen and data collection protocol designed with the research purpose of understanding the immune responses to vaccines and infections in adult participants. The information gained will enhance the knowledge of immune correlates of protection and will help in laboratory work related to the development and validation of immunological assays. This protocol will allow Vaccine Research Center (VRC) investigators and collaborators to evaluate tissue level immune responses in participants who are recipients of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed vaccines, recipients of investigational vaccines, control subjects, and participants naturally infected with infectious diseases as examples of naturally acquired immunity. Immune responses will be evaluated using collection of blood, body fluids, mucosal and tissue samples to perform clinical evaluations for research rather than therapeutic goals. Imaging using ultrasonography may be employed to image tissues such as lymph nodes to guide sampling. Detailed studies of immune responses in blood, body fluids and a diversity of tissue types, including a variety of mucosal surfaces, will further the understanding of immune responses following vaccination or recovery from an infectious disease and will advance development of vaccines against existing, new, and re-emerging pathogens.
Subjects:
Up to 500 participants 18 years of age and older who agree to collection, use, and storage of specimens and images for research purposes will be enrolled. Participants must not be pregnant or breast-feeding for certain study sample collection procedures or to receive FDA-licensed live virus vaccines.
Study Plan:
Participants will receive information about study procedures and, if willing to participate, will sign the study informed consent. FDA-licensed vaccines may be administered to some study participants as part of study participation. As per NIH Clinical Center (CC) policy, where appropriate, participants will provide additional informed consent for study procedures.
Duration:
Individual participants may donate samples as often as permitted by the protocol and NIH CC guidelines. The CC guidance on the volume of blood drawn and other inpatient/outpatient procedures will be followed. The protocol will undergo continuing review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) annually.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | –Participants 18 years of age or older willing to donate blood and tissue specimens and participate in imaging studies to evaluate the components of the immune system |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 120 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Participants 18 years of age or older willing to donate blood and tissue specimens and participate in imaging studies to evaluate the components of the immune system.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Any medical, psychiatric, occupational condition or other condition that, in the judgment of the investigator, is a contraindication to protocol participation or impairs a participant s ability to give informed consent.
- Bleeding disorder diagnosed by a doctor (e.g., factor deficiency, coagulopathy, or platelet disorder requiring special precautions), use of anticoagulant medications for an ongoing medical condition, significant bruising or bleeding difficulties with intramuscular injections or blood draws. [Note: Participants taking anticoagulants, such as aspirin, prophylactically may be considered on a case to case basis.]
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
To use specimens and accumulated data for enhancement of understanding the correlates of immune protection.
Time frame: Throughout the study
By sample collection and imaging studies
To evaluate blood, body fluid, and tissue immune responses and pathogen dynamics of naturally infected and antigen-na(SqrRoot) ve subjects
Time frame: Throughout the study
By sample collection and imaging studies
To evaluate innate, humoral, and cellular immune responses and pathogen dynamics in the context of vaccination in the blood, body fluids, excretions, and tissues
Time frame: Throughout the study
By sample collection and imaging studies
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 19029902Querec TD, Akondy RS, Lee EK, Cao W, Nakaya HI, Teuwen D, Pirani A, Gernert K, Deng J, Marzolf B, Kennedy K, Wu H, Bennouna S, Oluoch H, Miller J, Vencio RZ, Mulligan M, Aderem A, Ahmed R, Pulendran B. Systems biology approach predicts immunogenicity of the yellow fever vaccine in humans. Nat Immunol. 2009 Jan;10(1):116-125. doi: 10.1038/ni.1688. Epub 2008 Nov 23.
- Background: PubMed 19052852Wrammert J, Miller J, Akondy R, Ahmed R. Human immune memory to yellow fever and smallpox vaccination. J Clin Immunol. 2009 Mar;29(2):151-7. doi: 10.1007/s10875-008-9267-3. Epub 2008 Dec 4.
- Background: PubMed 19793898Plotkin SA. Vaccines: the fourth century. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2009 Dec;16(12):1709-19. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00290-09. Epub 2009 Sep 30.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 25483691Herrin DM, Coates EE, Costner PJ, Kemp TJ, Nason MC, Saharia KK, Pan Y, Sarwar UN, Holman L, Yamshchikov G, Koup RA, Pang YY, Seder RA, Schiller JT, Graham BS, Pinto LA, Ledgerwood JE. Comparison of adaptive and innate immune responses induced by licensed vaccines for Human Papillomavirus. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014;10(12):3446-54. doi: 10.4161/hv.34408.
- NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web PageLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Immunity, Mucosal
RecruitingObservational study
Diagnosis and Treatment of Leishmania Infections
Kinetoplastid, Skin Diseases, Parasitic
RecruitingObservational study
Oral Bacteria and Immune System Problems Involved in Gum Disease (Periodontitis)
Immunosuppression, Periodontal Disease
Active, not recruitingEarly Phase 1
Evaluating the Human Immune Response to the JYNNEOS Vaccine
Vaccinia, Virus Diseases
Active, not recruitingPhase 2
Immunogenicity of the 9-Valent Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine in People With Idiopathic CD4 T Cell Lymphocytopenia
Idiopathic CD4 T Cell Lymphocytopenia
Not yet recruitingPhase 4
How Healthy Adults Respond to the Nasal Flu Vaccine
Mucosal Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Lesia K Dropulic, M.D. principal investigator
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Immunity, Mucosal and Immune System Processes, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact OPS Team, VRC (Not Listed, vrcops@nih.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
To use specimens and accumulated data for enhancement of understanding the correlates of immune protection. (time frame: Throughout the study). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01132859, which also lists 4 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Oct 2026.