Current Studies

If you are looking to volunteer as a study participant, please see the most updated list of studies here.

SARS2 SeroPrevalence And Respiratory Tract Assessment (SPARTA)

• Principal Investigator: Ted Ross, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This long-term, multi-site study is investigating the immune response to COVID-19 infection and vaccination, and determining what factors affect immunity after infection or vaccination and how long immunity lasts after each.

Rates of and risk factors for colonization with ESBL-producing and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the U.S.

• Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Ottesen, PhD (Dept. of Microbiology)
• This study is investigating the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the guts of people living in the Athens area, and the factors that may affect the presence of these resistant bacteria.

Study of immune pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2

• Principal Investigator: Ankita Garg, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This study is investigating the immune system mechanisms behind development of COVID-19.

Immune Response to Influenza Vaccine in Adults and Children (enrolling in flu season only)

• Principal Investigator: Ted Ross, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This study is investigating the influenza vaccination immune response among children and adults, in order to gather information to develop an improved influenza vaccine. The effect of childhood stress on seroconversion, as well whether factors of resilience and positive relationships may buffer the effect of that stress, are also being investigated in this study.

Completed Studies

Effect of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Eating Pattern on Hemodynamic Markers in Advanced Heart Failure Patients

• Principal Investigator: Lilian Sattler, PhD (Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy/Foods & Nutrition)
• This study is investigating the effects of a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on heart health markers/outcomes in advanced heart failure patients.

Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Diet, Physical Activity, and Gut Microbiome on Bone Strength

• Principal Investigator: Richard Lewis, PhD (Dept. of Foods & Nutrition)
• This study is investigating the effects of diet, physical activity and the gut microbiome on bone strength in adolescent boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to those without ASD.

Children’s Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination

• Principal Investigator: Katherine Ehrlich, PhD (Dept. of Psychology)
• This study is investigating connections between social experiences and immune mechanisms of responsiveness in children to the influenza vaccine. The effect of childhood stress on seroconversion, as well whether factors of resilience and positive relationships may buffer the effect of that stress, are being investigated in this study.

The Effects of Inflammation on Neurocomputationally-Derived Reinforcement Learning Profiles in Schizophrenia

• Principal Investigator: Gregory Strauss, PhD (Dept. of Psychology)
• This study is investigating whether anhedonia in participants with schizophrenia is associated with a reduction in the ability to anticipate future positive emotion and lack of persistence of positive emotional experiences across time. We are also examining whether markers of inflammation (cytokines) predict anhedonia in participants with schizophrenia.

Optimizing Technology for Circulating Tumor Cell Separation

• Principal Investigator: Leidong Mao, PhD (College of Engineering)
• This study aims to improve a device used to separate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from other blood cells in order to study the CTCs further.

Inflammation and the Epigenome in Schizophrenia

• Principal Investigator: Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH (Dept. of Psychiatry, Augusta University)
• This study is investigating the role of inflammation and epigenetics in participants with schizophrenia vs. those without schizophrenia.

Medication Use in Adolescents with Asthma or Other Chronic Respiratory Illness

• Principal Investigator: Henry Young, PhD (Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy)
• This study is examining the feasibility of using Ecological Momentary Assessments to measure medication adherence in adolescents with chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. This study will also assess the acceptability of the Problem Recognition in Illness Self-Management (PRISM) tool, a family-provider communication intervention, to improve medication adherence in patients with chronic respiratory illnesses.

Investigation of epigenetic regulation of body weight and heart disease among individuals with obstructive sleep apnea

• Principal Investigator: Brad Phillips, PharmD (Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy)
• This study aims to determine if sleep apnea has an effect on individual genes or groups of genes that are known to be important in determining body weight and heart disease. Both individuals with and without sleep apnea will be recruited to participate in this study if they have completed an overnight sleep study.

Improving Adult Vaccine Communication and Education

• Principal Investigator: Glen Nowak, PhD (College of Journalism & Mass Communication)
• The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of different ways of presenting vaccine-related information and measuring the effects of that information in an effort to improve vaccine-related education.

Ivermectin and Human Immunity

• Principal Investigator: Adrian Wolstenholme, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This study is investigating the interaction of the drug ivermectin with the human innate immune system and whether this interaction contributes to the drug’s anti-parasitic effects.

Evaluation of the effects of SGLT2 inhibition on cardiac hemodynamics and volume status in diabetic patients with preserved ejection fraction heart failure

• Principal Investigator: Jonathan Murrow, MD (AU/UGA Medical Partnership)
• This study aims to quantify the effect of addition of SGLT2 inhibition therapy on measures of hemodynamic, volume status, and quality of life measures in diabetic patients with stable heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, as well as compare the effect of SGLT2 inhibition therapy vs. stable diuretic dose on measures of hemodynamic, blood volume, and extracellular fluid volume in these patients.

Human Antibody Response to Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Infection

• Principal Investigator: Jarrod Mousa, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This study is investigating the human antibody response to viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens.  The antibodies and antibody sequences will be analyzed by epitope, neutralization, and mechanism of action. Antibodies will be crystallized, and the sequences will be publicly available.

Antioxidant Responses to Exercise and Tart Cherry Consumption

• Principal Investigator: Jamie Cooper, PhD (Foods & Nutrition)
• This study is investigating the effects of tart cherry consumption and aerobic exercise on antioxidant levels and oxidative stress levels in the body after eating a high fat meal.

Investigation of Self-Regulation as a Predictor of Transition Readiness in College Students With and Without Medical Conditions

• Principal Investigators: Cynthia Suveg, PhD and Ronald Blount, PhD (Psychology)
• This study is investigating the role of self-regulation in independently managing healthcare needs (i.e., transition readiness) among college students with and without medical conditions, and evaluating the ways in which these abilities develop and vary between those with and without medical conditions.

Early life stress, parenting and risky decision-making: A multilevel mechanism

• Principal Investigator: Assaf Oshri, PhD (Human Development and Family Science)
• This study examines the developmental mechanism that underlies the relation of early life stress and risky decision-making versus resilience among low income youth with data at multiple levels (cellular, neurological, behavioral, and social).

The Human Innate Immune Response Against Filarial Nematodes

• Principal Investigator: Adrian Wolstenholme, PhD (Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
• This study is investigating the factors involved in human leukocytes’ ability to kill the larval parasitic nematode Brugia malayi (which can cause lymphatic filariasis) in vitro.

Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Atherosclerotic Determinants of Myocardial Ischemia (CREDENCE) trial

• Principal Investigator: Erick Avelar, MD (AU/UGA Medical Partnership)
• This study aims to determine if new measures of non-invasive testing (cardiac CT or stress testing) are similar to heart catheterization. Patients of Oconee Heart and Vascular Center and Northeast Cardiology who are evaluated for and recommended for a heart catheterization procedure will be recruited for this trial.

Comparison of two diets on metabolism and feelings of fullness after eating

• Principal Investigator: Jamie Cooper, PhD (Foods & Nutrition)
• This study involves comparing two diets on participants’ metabolism and feelings of fullness after eating: one is high in poly-unsaturated fatty acids and the other is high in mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Single-meal studies have shown some benefit in meals high in poly-unsaturated fatty acids on feelings of fullness and calorie expenditure, and this study aims to investigate longer-term effects of these diets.

Comparison of two lifestyle interventions on biomarkers of health and cancer prognosis among breast cancer survivors

• Principal Investigator: Lilian Sattler, PhD (Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy)
• This study will compare the effects of two 8-week educational interventions: (1) physical activity/healthy eating and (2) stress-reduction via mindfulness education, on biomarkers of inflammation, immune function and cardiovascular risk among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

Testing the effect of short bouts of exercise on blood sugar levels in people at risk for diabetes

• Principal Investigator: Jennifer Gay, PhD (Health Promotion & Behavior)
• This study tests the effect of short, repeated bouts of stair climbing on blood glucose control in participants at risk for diabetes. Spurts of physical activity have been linked to lower body mass index, lower blood glucose levels, and better insulin sensitivity, but few studies have shown these benefits in prospective studies (studies over time). Two different stair-climbing routines will be tested for their effect on blood glucose levels.

Investigation of genetic variation on chemokines in breast cancer patients

• Principal Investigator: Melissa Davis, PhD (Genetics and AU/UGA Medical Partnership)
• This study aims to determine if expression of the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC) gene is linked to altered profiles of chemokines (a type of signaling protein) or tumor immune responses among breast cancer patients and healthy controls.

Comparison of two different guidance methods of exercise training in people with peripheral arterial disease

• Principal Investigator: Jonathan Murrow, MD (AU/UGA Medical Partnership)
• Claudication, or cramping pain in the legs induced by exercise, is a common problem in people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study aims to test whether exercise guided by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which can measure whether leg muscles are getting enough oxygen, is as effective at reducing claudication in participants with PAD as currently used exercise programs that are guided by pain symptoms (walking until the point of pain).