John Hopkins Webinar on transplant recipients and vaccines

I’m a participant in the Hopkins study. Liver transplant (A1AT) 5 years out, currently just on 2mg daily of Tacro. On first dose of Pfizer vaccine, I developed less than 0.48 (no antibodies). Very disheartening! However, 30 days after second dose, I was just notified I tested positive for antibodies. So delayed response for me!

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Hi there!
I believe the study is complete and findings published.
That said, I know they have engaged in other studies and might have some other initiative going on?
Their contact info for the vaccine study is: transplantvaccine@jhmi.edu

You can also pay at Labcorp to have testing for antibodies (somewhere around $50, I believe).

Good luck!

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Thanks so much @kedwards73. I really appreciate all of the information. Does the covid-19 antibodies test show a number or just positive/ negative. If they provide a number, how do you know if it's a low number or good number? Does the test result identify the low/high classification or is there something on the internet that I can use to interpret the result? Thank you again for being so knowledgeable!

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While it’s encouraging to have a higher number associated with the Covid test when checking for antibodies, it’s no guarantee of immunity. A positive SARS-CoV-2 spike protein test just shows that your body has been exposed to the Covid-19 virus either though having the virus or by getting the vaccination and is making the appropriate antibodies to recognize it again in the future. But it won’t show the effectiveness or longevity of the antibody protection. Conversely a patient may show a low antibody number but still some immune response if exposed to the virus.

Antibodies are just one part of a complex immune response that is triggered when a person becomes infected with SARS-CoV-2. The presence of antibodies does not mean that they are there at a high enough concentration to provide protection from reinfection. Just as the lack of antibodies does not mean that the immune system is not primed to respond to reinfection.

What is most important is the adaptive immune response. The adaptive immune system is responsible for the long-lasting response. It activates your body’s T and B cells, which learn to recognize specific foreign materials. The T and B cells are the ones that then identify the foreign material months or years after the initial infection or vaccination and generate the antibodies to attack and eliminate the invaders.
Unfortunately testing the body’s T and B cells for Covid antibodies is difficult.

If I remember correctly, you had a low or zero score after your last SARS-CoV-2 test. Are you considering having another test run just to see if your numbers are up?

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Thanks so much @kedwards73. I really appreciate all of the information. Does the covid-19 antibodies test show a number or just positive/ negative. If they provide a number, how do you know if it's a low number or good number? Does the test result identify the low/high classification or is there something on the internet that I can use to interpret the result? Thank you again for being so knowledgeable!

Jump to this post

While it’s encouraging to have a higher number associated with the Covid test when checking for antibodies, it’s no guarantee of immunity. A positive SARS-CoV-2 spike protein test just shows that your body has been exposed to the Covid-19 virus either though having the virus or by getting the vaccination and is making the appropriate antibodies to recognize it again in the future. But it won’t show the effectiveness or longevity of the antibody protection. Conversely a patient may show a low antibody number but still some immune response if exposed to the virus.

Antibodies are just one part of a complex immune response that is triggered when a person becomes infected with SARS-CoV-2. The presence of antibodies does not mean that they are there at a high enough concentration to provide protection from reinfection. Just as the lack of antibodies does not mean that the immune system is not primed to respond to reinfection.

What is most important is the adaptive immune response. The adaptive immune system is responsible for the long-lasting response. It activates your body’s T and B cells, which learn to recognize specific foreign materials. The T and B cells are the ones that then identify the foreign material months or years after the initial infection or vaccination and generate the antibodies to attack and eliminate the invaders.
Unfortunately testing the body’s T and B cells for Covid antibodies is difficult.

If I remember correctly, you had a low or zero score after your last SARS-CoV-2 test. Are you considering having another test run just to see if your numbers are up?

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Wish I could be of more help but here’s what I know-
A number is provided along with a “positive” or “negative” comment. The issue is there isn’t an agreed standard developed about how much the number should be to actually indicate relative potency, IOTH is 200 enough or is 2000 what you want? The test only tested for one of three variables indicating the human body’s response- there are two forms of antibodies and T-cells. This test only measured one of the three.
The vaccine efficacy doesn’t have an agreed standard on effecting the virus, from what I understand. So having antibodies on one of the tests doesn’t measure your development of the other antibodies or T-cells. Hopkins had discussed other tests on those two elements but I don’t think it went anywhere.
One other interesting fact- as I recall, 40% of the immune suppressed population didn’t develop any antibodies from the vaccine in their study. They solicited some of those folks to take a third shot and that third dose resulted in those folks getting antibodies (hurray)!
So, it is all interesting and I feel so grateful to have stumbled into the study snd following results.
Again, my recall isn’t so great these days but I think that was the gist of it all😀!
If I was curious, being immune suppressed and vaccinated, I believe I would avail myself of the Labcorp route, just to know.
Take care!

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Hi everyone! Following the COVID vaccine conversation with TX folks has been interesting. After watching the JH webinars, I am content to wait for my doctors to release info that addresses our needs and my particular needs. That said, when we discuss T and B cells it's difficult. Those are the exact cells that our immuno-suppressant drugs affect. Our Tacro, Sirolimus, CellCept, etc. reduce the response from the T and B cells in order to avoid the opportunity for rejection of our heart, kidney, liver or other organ. So when we talk about relying on these cells to help us with COVID, I don't think it's scientifically reasonable to expect that. Does anyone know more about this? I would be glad to be mistaken! 🙂

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