Can a booster shot and lowered immune drugs protect transplant patients from COVID?

NCT ID NCT05077254

Completed Disease control Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looked at whether giving an extra dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) to kidney and liver transplant recipients could boost their antibody levels. Some participants also temporarily reduced their immunosuppressive medications to see if that helped the vaccine work better. The trial enrolled 48 adults who had a transplant at least a year ago and had low antibody levels after their initial vaccine series.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) with or without reduction of standard immunosuppressive drugs (mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could point toward a strategy to improve vaccine protection in transplant patients who are at high risk for severe COVID-19.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study with only 48 participants, so results may not apply to all transplant recipients. Reducing immunosuppression carries a risk of organ rejection.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

COVID-19

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Contacts and locations

Locations

Emory Healthcare

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
Houston Methodist

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research: Broadway Adult Outpatient Clinical Research Unit

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
Mt. Sinai Hospital

New York, New York, 10029, United States
NYU Langone Transplant Institute

New York, New York, 10016, United States
Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States
Ochsner Health

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70121, United States
University of California San Francisco Health

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
University of California, San Diego

San Diego, California, 92093, United States
University of Illinois Health

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
University of Iowa Hospitals

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, United States
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States
Weill Cornell Medicine

New York, New York, 10065, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.