BERT study launched in The Netherlands

The second PERISCOPE clinical study – the BERT study – carried out on behalf of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, RIVM) has started. In the first week of October, 2017, the first patient took part in the clinical study which is conducted at the Spaarne Gasthuis in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.

The BERT study investigates how the immune system responds to a booster vaccination to protect against whooping cough caused by Bordetella pertussis. Furthermore, the influence of age and of the number of vaccinations and the type of vaccine administered during childhood is studied. Blood is taken from the vaccinated individuals for in depth analysis of the induction of antibodies and the white blood cell responses. The aim is to understand how immune responses induced by vaccination lead to long-term memory and protection against whooping cough. The results gained will contribute to the development of better vaccines in the future.

The BERT study is one of nine clinical studies planned within the PERISCOPE project. Within the BERT study in the Netherlands RIVM is closely cooperating with the Radboud University Medical Center (RUMC) and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).  Within a couple of months a similar BERT study will start in Oxford UK and in Turku Finland.

If you would like to receive further detailed information about the BERT study, please visit: http://www.rivm.nl/Onderwerpen/V/Vaccinonderzoek/Kinkhoest/BERT_studie