Operation Warp Speed's Chief Science Advisor visited Emory University and urged Americans to continue enrolling in ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed, toured the Emory Children’s Center, where two leading COVID vaccine clinical trials are underway. 

During his tour, Slaoui thanked the researchers and staff working on the trials and offered any assistance to keep the work at Emory moving forward. He had special words of thanks for vaccine trial volunteers and encouraged more Americans to step forward if they are able.

“Without their generous participation we can’t achieve the objective of having a vaccine against this pandemic pathogen,” Slaoui said. “It’s the way each one of us can help fight this pandemic.”

The Emory Children’s Center is taking part in two vaccine clinical trials that are a part of Operation Warp Speed. 

The first is an experimental vaccine, mRNA-1273 co-developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and biotech company Moderna, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. That trial is fully enrolled.

The second is a single dose vaccine candidate, developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. That trial is still seeking participants at Emory Children’s Center. Those interested in volunteering may do so here: coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org 

In his visit, Slaoui met with:

• Evan Anderson MD, pediatrician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and principal investigator for the Moderna and Janssen vaccine trials at Emory Children’s Center.

• Nadine Rouphael, MD, professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at Emory University School of Medicine, and principal investigator for the Moderna vaccine study at the Emory’s Hope Clinic, where she is interim director.

• David S. Stephens, MD, vice president for research at Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center, chair Emory University School of Medicine, co- principal investigator Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC).

Operation Warp Speed is a public-private partnership designed to help accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.