Spring Break
Univ. study aims to prevent herpes
Women needed for study
PEARMAN PARKER
Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: News
Ladies at the University can now earn money while keeping herpes at bay.
The University Health Center is conducting a study involving women aged 18-30 to create a herpes vaccine.
"We're doing a trial to prevent herpes," said Lynn Allmond, a nurse practitioner in the family medicine department at the Medical College of Georgia, which is responsible for the study.
The study uses only women participants because previous studies with men proved unsuccessful, said Daron Ferris, a physician and professor at MCG in the department of family med cine, obstetrics and gynecology.
"If we can eliminate (herpes) in women, we could hopefully also reduce herpes infections in boys," Ferris said.
The study is broken into eight visits over 20 months. One group of women will receive the herpes vaccine, while the other group, the control group, will receive a Hepatitis-A shot, Allmond said.
Women with oral or viral herpes are not eligible for the study.
All participants will have an initial screening through a blood test for herpes, she said.
After the initial shot, women will return after one month to receive the second dosage. Six months later, they will receive their final vaccination, she said.
"We inject a substance to make your body react in a way that it can build immunity when you're reexposed in the future," Ferris said.
Between administering the shots, blood will be drawn to check the progress of antibodies and phone calls will be made by MCG to check on the participants, Allmond said.
Women must be in good health and not have HIV, auto-immune disorders such as Lupus or "anything that attacks your immune system." But "most people are able" to participate in the study, she said.
Leean Johns, a senior from Waycross, said she thought this would open doors for technology.
"It's a great idea with medicine to try to prevent harmful diseases as much as possible," Johns said.
If the study leads to the development and approval of the vaccine, she said, "it could be great because of the prevalence of STDs."
In addition to the free screening for herpes, women will get paid for their time and travel.
Allmond said the researchers asked "what can (they) provide to the students reasonably." Their answer - money. But the financial incentive may not be enough.
"Advertisements are everywhere because we need college kids," she said. Ads appear on Facebook, buses and in The Red & Black.
"We're always looking for new participants." Students interested in the study can call Lynn Allmond at 706-721-2535 or 877-643-1414 or reach her by e-mail at womens_health@mcg.edu.
The University Health Center is conducting a study involving women aged 18-30 to create a herpes vaccine.
"We're doing a trial to prevent herpes," said Lynn Allmond, a nurse practitioner in the family medicine department at the Medical College of Georgia, which is responsible for the study.
The study uses only women participants because previous studies with men proved unsuccessful, said Daron Ferris, a physician and professor at MCG in the department of family med cine, obstetrics and gynecology.
"If we can eliminate (herpes) in women, we could hopefully also reduce herpes infections in boys," Ferris said.
The study is broken into eight visits over 20 months. One group of women will receive the herpes vaccine, while the other group, the control group, will receive a Hepatitis-A shot, Allmond said.
Women with oral or viral herpes are not eligible for the study.
All participants will have an initial screening through a blood test for herpes, she said.
After the initial shot, women will return after one month to receive the second dosage. Six months later, they will receive their final vaccination, she said.
"We inject a substance to make your body react in a way that it can build immunity when you're reexposed in the future," Ferris said.
Between administering the shots, blood will be drawn to check the progress of antibodies and phone calls will be made by MCG to check on the participants, Allmond said.
Women must be in good health and not have HIV, auto-immune disorders such as Lupus or "anything that attacks your immune system." But "most people are able" to participate in the study, she said.
Leean Johns, a senior from Waycross, said she thought this would open doors for technology.
"It's a great idea with medicine to try to prevent harmful diseases as much as possible," Johns said.
If the study leads to the development and approval of the vaccine, she said, "it could be great because of the prevalence of STDs."
In addition to the free screening for herpes, women will get paid for their time and travel.
Allmond said the researchers asked "what can (they) provide to the students reasonably." Their answer - money. But the financial incentive may not be enough.
"Advertisements are everywhere because we need college kids," she said. Ads appear on Facebook, buses and in The Red & Black.
"We're always looking for new participants." Students interested in the study can call Lynn Allmond at 706-721-2535 or 877-643-1414 or reach her by e-mail at womens_health@mcg.edu.
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