COVID-19 mRNA vaccination responses in individuals with sickle cell disease: an ASH RC Sickle Cell Research Network Study

Alan R. Anderson, PRISMA Health Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program, Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, SC.
John J. Strouse, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC.
Deepa Manwani, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.
Amanda M. Brandow, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplantation, Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Research Institute of Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
Elliott Vichinsky, Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF, Oakland, CA.
Andrew Campbell, Department of Pediatrics, Children's National Hospital, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
Patrick J. Leavey, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Children's Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Alecia Nero, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Ibrahim F. Ibrahim, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Joshua J. Field, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Versiti Blood Research Institute, Milwaukee, WI.
Amanda Baer, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Haideliza Soto-Calderon, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Lauren Vincent, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Yan Zhao, Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Jefferson J. Santos, Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Scott E. Hensley, Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Nicole Mortier, ASH Research Collaborative, Washington, DC.
Sophie Lanzkron, Division of Hematology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Donna Neuberg, Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Charles S. Abrams, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

9-10-2024

Journal

Blood advances

Volume

8

Issue

17

DOI

10.1182/bloodadvances.2024013878

Abstract

Children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) have increases in morbidity and mortality with COVID-19 infections. The American Society of Hematology Research Collaborative Sickle Cell Disease Research Network performed a prospective COVID-19 vaccine study to assess antibody responses and analyze whether messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination precipitated any adverse effects unique to individuals with SCD. Forty-one participants received 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and provided baseline blood samples before vaccination and 2 months after the initial vaccination for analysis of immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein. Six-month IgG reactivity against the viral RBD was also available in 37 patients. Postvaccination reactogenicity was common and similar to the general population. There were no fevers that required inpatient admission. Vaso-occlusive pain within 2 to 3 days of first or second vaccination was reported by 5 participants (12%) including 4 (10%) who sought medical care. Twenty-seven participants (66%) were seropositive at baseline, and all 14 initially seronegative participants (34%) converted to seropositive after vaccination. Overall, mRNA vaccination had a good risk-benefit profile in individuals with SCD. This mRNA vaccine study also marks the first evaluation of vaccine safety and antibody response in very young children with SCD. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT05139992.

Department

Pediatrics

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