Healthy Volunteer Studies

If you would like to participate in health research as the healthy volunteer, below is a list of studies accepting healthy volunteers.

A Trial to Evaluate an HIV Vaccine, N332-GT5 gp140, in Adult Participants Without HIV

Lead Researcher: Michael Keefer

Finding a vaccine against HIV remains a top priority for public health. This study, called HVTN 144, is an early step in the process. It's like testing the first pieces of a puzzle before building the whole picture. The goal is to see if a new HIV vaccine candidate is safe and can trigger the right immune response in people without HIV. The vaccine candidate itself is a protein called N332-GT5 gp140, combined with a special booster called SMNP. The study will involve two parts: Part 1: 84 healthy adults between 18 and 55 years old will receive the vaccine candidate at different doses and schedules. This helps find the safest and most effective way to give the vaccine. Part 2: The best dose and schedule from Part 1 will be used to see how well the vaccine triggers the desired immune response, specifically a certain type of antibody called BG18-class IgG. The whole study will take about 22 months. Most of that time is for safety monitoring and follow-up after the last vaccination.

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Aging and Information Processing

Lead Researcher: Robert Chapman

The purpose of our study is to better understand functional differences in brain activity between healthy aging and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's Disease. To do this, our lab uses a noninvasive and inexpensive technique to collect brain measurements called electroencephalogram (EEG). By recording EEG while participants do certain memory and other cognitive tests, we can link specific brain signals by brain location and time to cognitive activities (such as trying to memorize a stimulus). We collect the EEG, as well as traditional pen-and-paper cognitive test results, from participants every year. Using these brain measurements, we aim to discover differences between the healthy aging brain and brains struck by age-related cognitive disorders. Combining different brain measures together may help us develop better tests for these disorders.

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An EEG Study of Auditory Perception in People with and without Schizophrenia

Lead Researcher: Judy Thompson

The purpose of our study is to better understand how the brain processes sounds, including speech. We are investigating this in people with and without psychiatric conditions. One of our primary aims is to determine how these processes may relate to specific experiences and symptoms in conditions such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder, with the goal of using this knowledge to develop more effective treatments. In order to study how the brain processes sounds, we use a technique called electroencephalography, or EEG. For EEG, a person wears a comfortable elastic cap with sensors attached to it that are able to record brain activity. In these sessions, subjects listen to short audio clips while EEG is recording; this allows us to measure brain responses to sounds. This study also includes interviews about current and past psychiatric symptoms and treatment, as well as a few short tasks, questionnaires, and a hearing test. The study typically involves 4-5 visits, with each about 2-3 hours long. Subjects are paid $30 an hour, as well as a $30 bonus if they complete all study activities. Transportation costs are also covered, and free snacks are provided.

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BABE

Lead Researcher: Kirsi Jarvinen-seppo

You are eligible if you are pregnant and 18 years old or older and give birth to a healthy infant. The purpose of this study is to compare a group of people at low risk for getting allergies, the Old Order Mennonite, with a group of people at higher risk of getting allergies, the average person living in Rochester. The immune system protects us from diseases, working throughout the body, including in secretions such as saliva and breast milk, and in the normal bacteria in the stomach and intestines. The way people live, including the things they are exposed to, changes the way the immune system develops. A baby’s immune system develops over time. The baby’s ability to fight disease is helped by the mom’s immunity passed to the baby through breast milk. By comparing biological samples like saliva, breast milk, and stool, we can study differences between these two groups to see what’s different in a group at low risk and a group at higher risk of getting allergies. Using questionnaires and biologic samples (stool, skin cells, blood, etc.) we will evaluate the development of the infant microbiome, metabolite composition and the immune system and how that relates to the development of allergic disease. The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on our bodies and inside us. A metabolite is any substance produced during metabolism (digestion or other bodily chemical processes). The term metabolite may also refer to the product that remains after a medicine is broken down (metabolized) by the body.

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BEGIN - A Breastfeeding Study

Lead Researcher: Bridget Young

We are looking for: - Mothers who are exclusively pumping for babies 1-2 months old - Participation will last until your baby is 4 months old - We will have you collect breastmilk, stool, urine, and saliva at home - This study is totally remote – no need to ever leave your house! Earn $100/month & receive breastfeeding support from our team!

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COVID-19 Vaccine Studies

Lead Researcher: Ann Falsey

URMC is studying several variations of a COVID-19 vaccine. Compensation: $500-$900. Participation Requirements: Age 18+; Have not been infected with COVID-19. To volunteer, take our survey to find out if you qualify: https://redcap.urmc.rochester.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=XHH9MC8RMK

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Development of Personal Choice in Adolescents

Lead Researcher: Loisa Bennetto

In this online study, a parent and their adolescent will independently complete brief surveys. The adolescent will complete their survey first, and it may take up to 15 minutes. Afterwards, the parent will complete their survey, which may take up to 20 minutes. We are currently recruiting adolescents without autism in two age groups: 12-year-olds 17-year-olds All adolescents must be fluent in English. They cannot have autism or an intellectual disability. They should be able to complete the survey independently (audio support is provided for children who are not strong readers). Please make sure to add an email address so that we can contact you!

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Fine Eye Movement Study

Lead Researcher: Brian Keane

This study will look at differences in eye movement as they relate to visual perception and the way people think. The information collected in this study will aid in finding ways to more accurately diagnose psychiatric disorders, namely schizophrenia, by using eye scans. Also, results from this study may guide the development of more tailored therapies to help people with psychiatric disorders in the future. Procedures include: interviews about your medical and drug use history; a vocabulary test; review of your eRecord data; visual perceptual tasks completed on a computer; and eye scans (like those during an eye doctor exam). Some of these procedures may occur via Zoom, depending on participant preferences. Eligibility: Ages 18-55; a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder OR no psychiatric disorder with no more than one lifetime major depressive episode.

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Lung Health Cohort

Lead Researcher: Sandhya Khurana

Because lung function reaches its peak level between the ages of 25-35 years old, we are beginning our study with people only in this age range. If you are in this age range and have no history of chronic (i.e. long-lasting) lung diseases - other than mild asthma - and no history of cardiovascular disease, you may be eligible to join this study. This study involves a combination of in-person exams (during a single visit), at-home tasks, and remote contact (via video conference, text message, email, phone, or mail). During the in-person visit, we will test your lung function, take images of your chest (CT scans), and ask you to provide biospecimen samples (blood, urine, and nasal samples). There is an at-home portion to this study where you will wear an activity monitor for one week, and you will perform breathing tests at home. We will follow-up with you remotely every 3 to six months (up to 4 times per year) until the end of the study.

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Neuro COVID

Lead Researcher: Giovanni Schifitto

We are recruiting individuals 65 or older to learn more about how Covid impacts our brains! COVID is caused by a virus that enter many cells including cells of blood vessels. This can make vessels leaky and in the brain this leakage can cause inflammation. The damaged blood vessels are also more likely to form blood clots, causing tiny strokes. The purpose of this study is to understand if after initial COVID infection these leaky brain vessels fully recover or remain permanently damaged. If you decide to take part in this study, you will be asked to come to the Clinical Research Center (CRC) at URMC three different times: Baseline, 12 months, and 24 months - and you will participate in two telephone calls over a 2 year period. At the baseline visit, there is a blood draw and testing to assess your memory, attention, and movement (approximately 2.5 hours) as well as an MRI (approximately 1.5 hours). At the 12 month visit, there is a blood draw and memory tests. At the 24 month visit, there is a blood draw, memory testing, and an MRI.

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PRG Contact Database

Lead Researcher: Brian Keane

This future contact database will facilitate contact with prospective subjects, giving them greater opportunities to participate in behavioral and neuroimaging studies for which they may be eligible.

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Spoken Language Comprehension in Adolescents​

Lead Researcher: Loisa Bennetto

​In this online study, an adolescent will schedule a Zoom appointment with a researcher and complete a computer-based listening study that may take up to 45 minutes. The parent will then complete background information surveys, which may take up to 20 minutes. Participants will be compensated via an electronic gift card. We hope that this research will lead to a better understanding of everyday spoken language communication and social interactions in adolescents with and without autism. We are currently recruiting adolescents aged 13-17 without autism. Please make sure to add an email address so that we can contact you!

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Text Messaging Program to Support Latino Young Adults in Quitting Vaping

Lead Researcher: Francisco Cartujano

All participants will receive a 12-week text messaging intervention. Participants will be asked to complete a baseline survey and a follow-up survey 3 months after enrollment. Eligible individuals self-identify as Latino, are 18-25 years old, and currently use electronic cigarettes. An active cellphone with unlimited text messaging capability is required to participate.

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Understanding auditory processing disorders in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD

Lead Researcher: Emily Knight

The study uses EEG (electroencephalogram), virtual reality (VR), and cognitive testing. Children are asked to participate in two sessions (~3hrs each). Children are given several breaks during the sessions. In the 1st session, children wear an EEG cap and VR headset. They view three characters in virtual reality and are asked to press a button when the character in the middle says a target word. While the child is doing the VR-EEG, we also ask parents to fill out questionnaires about their child. In the 2nd session, we involve the child in a series of cognitive and behavioral tests that measure things like IQ, language processing, executive function, and social communication. Parents can receive a report of the testing results from this 2nd session if they choose. Children receive $18hr per hour for participating. There is an additional parent stipend of $25 per session. Children must be 7-12 years old. Children with typical development and those with autism and/or ADHD can participate in the study. Children must have normal hearing, normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no neurological disease, no history of head injury or psychosis. They must have fluent verbal ability and average or above intelligence for this study. We also ask that Typically Developing Controls do not have a personal history of developmental disability and do not have a parent or sibling with autism.

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