Because patients treated with immunosuppressive agents have been excluded from initial clinical trials, and most patients with rheumatic diseases are taking immunosuppressants, the immune responses towards the mRNA COVID19 vaccines in these patients remains unknown. The goal is to study the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic diseases. Blood samples collected before and longitudinally after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., Pfizer and Moderna vaccines) will enable detailed immunological investigation of the interaction between COVID-19 vaccination and rheumatic diseases. These efforts will provide novel insights into the COVID-19 vaccine response in patients with rheumatic diseases, and eventually would inform clinical management to improve patient care.
The research is being done to study the immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic diseases.