Decentralized Digital Health Study: COVID Vaccine Response

Moderna recently conducted a digitally enabled, at-home study examining COVID-19 antibody response over time, made possible by Evidation. A preprint published on MedRxiv, Antibody Response Following COVID-19 Boosters During the Omicron Wave in the United States: A Decentralized, Digital Health, Real-World Study, reports individuals who received Moderna primary shots and boosters had more durable antibody levels than those who received Pfizer. This observational study is believed to be the first study worldwide to use decentralized procedures to assess real-world immunity following COVID-19 vaccination.

“Our goal is to uncover useful, longitudinal insights that enable researchers and public officials to apply real-world learnings faster. This study was designed and implemented in just three months and fully enrolled two weeks after launch, demonstrating the power of the Moderna Community built within Evidation's population,” said Christine Lemke, co-CEO and co-founder at Evidation.

For this study, 844 participants were recruited and enrolled from the Moderna Community on Evidation, a community of over 100,000 people across the country launched earlier this year. The study included two vaccination cohorts: 1) individuals who had received two Moderna-only primary shots and a Moderna booster, and 2) individuals who had received two Pfizer-only primary shots and a Pfizer booster.

Participants collected three monthly blood samples using an at-home blood draw device, and sent the samples for lab-based antibody measurement. Results showed that participants who received Moderna vaccines had stable antibody levels for 20 weeks following the booster shot, compared to eight weeks for those receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

The study supports the finding that the Moderna-only COVID-19 vaccine series substantially boosts and maintains high antibody titers over time against the ancestral strain and variants of concern, including BA.1, suggesting that priming and boosting with this vaccine may be highly protective against COVID-19.

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