How COVID-19 vaccines and the microbiome shape immune responses
Official title: Systems biological assessment of innate and adaptive immunity to vaccination
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11388579 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how different COVID-19 vaccines and the gut microbiome change immune responses in adults, including people with serious allergies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | March 7, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,168,222 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AI167903-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11388579 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) — especially those with serious allergic diseases or healthy volunteers who can give blood and stool samples and/or have received COVID-19 vaccines — are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, people unwilling to provide biological samples, or those with health issues unrelated to immune or allergic conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
You would be part of work that uses detailed immune testing and microbiome analysis to understand how vaccines trigger protection. The team compares people with serious allergic (atopic) conditions to healthy adults and studies blood and stool samples to map innate and adaptive immune responses. They will analyze samples from a Novavax clinical trial in South Africa and study responses to mRNA vaccines like BNT162b2. Some parts include experiments where the microbiome is altered (for example with antibiotics) to see how that changes vaccine-driven immunity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Results could help make COVID-19 vaccines safer and more effective for people with allergies and point to microbiome-based ways to boost vaccine responses.
How similar studies have gone: Previous systems-vaccinology and microbiome studies have linked gut bacteria to vaccine responses, but comparing mRNA and Matrix‑M adjuvanted vaccines in people with serious allergies is a newer application of these methods.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pulendran, Bali — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Pulendran, Bali
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.