KANNAPOLIS, N.C.—Duke’s MURDOCK Study has launched a COVID-19 research project to follow the health of hundreds of North Carolina volunteers for several months. The study will also test a sub-group for COVID-19 infection and potential immunity to the novel coronavirus that causes the disease.
The MURDOCK Cabarrus County COVID-19 Prevalence and Immunity (C3PI) Study at Duke Kannapolis is a partnership with the Duke University School of Medicine and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to understand the community prevalence of COVID-19 and to monitor the disease over time. Enrollment began June 9.
Study participants complete online surveys about their health every two weeks. This summer, a smaller cohort will do at-home nasal swabs to test for COVID-19 infection and give blood samples to look for antibodies that indicate prior infection and could indicate immunity.
Volunteers for the project are already enrolled in the MURDOCK Study, a landmark community-based health research initiative in Cabarrus County. Founded in 2008, the MURDOCK Study has more than 12,500 participants and is based at the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) office in Kannapolis, where a team of Duke employees launched the COVID-19 study in a matter of weeks.