Alberta’s Tomorrow Project to conduct serological study to test for COVID-19 antibodies
Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, the province’s largest health research platform, is pleased to announce that it is one of the provincial projects chosen to conduct a serological study to assess the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta. The study, sponsored by Alberta Health, will be used to detect the presence of antibodies in blood, which indicate whether the body has made an immune response to the COVID-19 infection.
Beginning this summer, ATP will invite 4000 existing participants over the age of 45 in the Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Lethbridge areas to participate in the study. Blood samples will be collected at baseline and at three other time points over the course of a year, once every four months, to test for COVID-19 antibodies in order to estimate the number of Albertans who have been exposed to COVID-19 and to follow the trend over time.
“This work is important to understand exposure to COVID-19 in the Albertan population and how this changes over time,” said Dr. Jennifer Vena, Scientific Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. “Our cohort of thousands of dedicated participants across the province volunteered to be part of a long-term research study which aims to better understand long-term diseases like cancer and chronic disease, which is so important and valuable — but COVID-19 is a problem that is affecting everyone in the province in one way or another right now, and we can be part of finding solutions which is really exciting.”
This study is one of three targeted serological research studies to test people throughout the province; the other two studies (based in Calgary and Edmonton) will focus on children.
Launched in 2000, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project is the province’s largest health research platform and follows the health of 55,000 men and women over a period of 50 years. The study provides a wide depth and breadth of data to researchers around the world.
For more information about the study, please email: