Local health care provider Austin Regional Clinic is recruiting 250 patients from the Austin area to participate in a late-phase clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine.

According to an Aug. 7 news release from ARC, this clinical trial will test the safety of a certain vaccine compound. This trial may potentially allow this vaccine to be the first to reach the market, ARC stated.

“This vaccine candidate has the potential to save lives and allow us to return to a way of life that will restore our economy, re-connect our friendships, and continue activities we all enjoy," said Dr. Gretchen Crook, principal investigator for ARC Clinical Research, in the Aug. 7 news release. "ARC Clinical Research was selected as a partner in this study based on our long track record of conducting high quality trials and our speed in enrolling study participants."

ARC Clinical Research is the medical research arm of ARC; it works with pharmaceutical, immunotherapy or medical device partners to conduct clinic studies, according to the organization’s website.

ARC Clinic Research is hosting seven other research studies at its facilities, according to the Aug. 7 news release. According to the health care organization’s website, ARC Clinical Research has a handful of other upcoming clinical trials looking for participants, including studies on celiac disease, arthritis and Type 1 diabetes.


“This is one of many clinical trials currently being conducted by ARC to look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases that may benefit patients in Central Texas,” Crook said in the news release.

All participants in the COVID-19 vaccine trial will be compensated for their time, according to the Aug. 7 news release. The study will be conducted at ARC Clinical Research Wilson Parke, located at 11714 Wilson Parke Ave., Ste. 150, Austin.

Patients interested in participating in the vaccine trial are instructed to visit www.arcclinicalresearch.com or call 512-225-5931 for screening and eligibility.

ARC stated it is mandating strict safety measures at its clinics and research facilities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Patients arriving to ARC clinics are pre-screened before entering, and symptomatic patients are asked to wait in their cars, according to ARC. The health care group further stated that it cleans exam rooms between each visit.