UC, UC Health to launch Phase 3 clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccine uses a genetic code to produce proteins that may generate protective antibodies
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and UC Health will host a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a vaccine for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
UC is one of approximately 90 sites across the United States selected for the study, which will administer the vaccine candidate mRNA-1273 to volunteer participants and monitor its efficacy in eliciting an immune response that provides protection from COVID-19. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding the study.
Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the UC College of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, medical director of the COVID-19 vaccine trial. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
“UC was chosen because we have a proven track record of high-quality research and are the number one site in the NIAID-funded, AIDS Clinical Trials Group in the U.S. We are proud to bring leading-edge research to Cincinnati so that we can help our community battle the COVID-19 pandemic and be part of the solution,” said Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health physician.
Fichtenbaum is co-investigator of the study and will serve as medical director.
Read the full story here.
Featured photo of COVID-19 vials by Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, read more #UCtheGood content, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Related Stories
Taking a second look at surgery eligibility for patients with lung cancer who smoke
June 11, 2026
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that patients who continue to smoke ahead of lung cancer surgery have a higher risk of pulmonary complications, but their short-term mortality rate is similar to patients who were able to stop smoking before surgery.. Their findings were published recently in the Journal of. American College of Surgeons
Cincinnati Children's LEND Program opens doors for UC graduate nursing students
June 9, 2026
UC graduate nursing students are broadening their expertise and career opportunities through the Cincinnati Children's LEND Program.
Patients with developmental disabilities may benefit with an integrated care model
June 9, 2026
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University have found that adults with developmental disabilities who have integrated care were less likely to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized than others who were not. Their work was published in Disability and Health Journal.