How COVID-19 vaccines trigger early immune responses
Official title: Systems biological assessment of innate responses to vaccination
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11388605 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how different COVID-19 vaccine types and the gut microbiome shape early 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) | $659,104 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AI167903-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11388605 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older who have received or are willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines and who can provide blood and microbiome samples (including people with serious allergic or atopic conditions).
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21 and people who cannot provide samples or who are not receiving these types of COVID-19 vaccines would not directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
Researchers at Stanford will compare immune signals triggered by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (such as BNT162b2) and a Novavax vaccine that uses the Matrix‑M adjuvant. They will collect blood and other samples from adults, including people with significant allergies, and use systems-biology tools to map innate and adaptive responses. The team will also analyze participants' microbiome samples to see how microbes might influence vaccine immunity. Some samples come from a Novavax-sponsored trial in South Africa while other samples will be collected at participating sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help make COVID-19 vaccines safer and more effective for different groups of adults, including people with allergies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior systems-biology studies have successfully revealed immune signatures for other vaccines, but applying these methods to mRNA and Matrix‑M adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccines and to people with serious allergies is relatively new.
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.