Liver pathophysiology

COBALT Pediatrics

The issue

In 2021, we launched the COBALT study to determine the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in chronic liver disease after liver transplantation in adults. The COBALT Pediatrics study extends its focus to children who have received liver or kidney transplants. This data is crucial due to the immunosuppressed status of these patients and the prevalent issues of vaccine hesitancy within this population.

The approach

Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were measured at 7- and 32-weeks following vaccination, and also compared with responses in similar adult post-transplant populations. 

There has been much anxiety about the use of COVID-19 vaccination in children, particularly as there were reports of an unusual liver injury following COVID-19 infection in certain young children during the pandemic. Thus, data to evaluate vaccine effectiveness in the vulnerable, pediatric post-transplant population are important to aid clinical management as well as combat vaccine hesitancy.

Research network