MELODY Study

Register for the MELODY Study

The MELODY Study is now open to patients with Solid Organ Transplants. If you wish to participate, please visit the study registration page.

The study will be opening shortly to patients with rare autoimmune diseases and blood cancers.

MELODY Participant Information Sheet (.pdf)

Overview

The MELODY (Mass evaluation of lateral flow immunoassays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in immunosuppressed people) study will use home antibody testing to improve our understanding of responses to COVID-19 vaccination in individuals who are receiving immunosuppression.

This major research project is funded by the UKRI Medical Research Council, in collaboration with patient charities, including Kidney Research UK, Vasculitis UK, Blood Cancer UK, and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. It is led by researchers at Imperial College London, in collaboration with several NHS and academic partners, including teams at the University of Nottingham, University of Sheffield, University of Cambridge, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), NHS Digital, and the National Rare Disease Registration Service (NDRS).

The MELODY study will target three groups of individuals: those with solid organ transplants, those with some types of blood cancer, and those with autoimmune disease. It will employ home blood finger prick antibody tests to measure the proportion of patients who develop antibodies to their third dose of a COVID vaccine. It will then utilise linked NHS data to determine if antibody responses correlate with protection from subsequent disease and hospitalisation during a 6 month follow up period. The study will provide valuable information on vaccine efficacy in clinically vulnerable patients and will inform future recommendations for the use of protective strategies and novel therapies in individuals receiving immunosuppression.

The study will open in early December 2021.