OCTAVE study at GOSH

Important update: From April 2022, the OCTAVE study is now also recruiting children aged 5-12 (previously it was recruiting 12-17 year olds). If your child is aged 5-17 and attending Great Ormond Street Hospital rheumatology department, they may be invited to take part.

An exciting new study has recently opened at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for paediatric rheumatology patients, including those with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). We represent children involved in the study as patient partners (PPI).

The study is called OCTAVE. It aims to find out how well children and young people who take certain medications respond to the COVID vaccine. This includes children and young people taking methotrexate or biologics for their JIA.

If your child is a patient at GOSH you may get a message from them through the MyGOSH app, or their doctor might talk to you about it at your next appointment. We encourage you to consider taking part if invited.

Who can take part?

At the moment, children and young people aged 5-17 who attend GOSH who are taking certain medications for their JIA. Some other groups of patients with other conditions are also joining the study separately. The study is currently looking at the 5-17 year old age group.

What does the study involve?

If you and your child/young person agree to take part, they will give a small blood sample in the days or weeks before their next dose of the COVID vaccine and another sample about a month after the vaccine dose. If you and your child/young person agree to help with this study and you visit on a non-clinic day, your travel to GOSH will be refunded.

What does the study hope to find out?

At the moment we don't know how certain medications might affect how well children and young people respond to the COVID vaccine. Studies in adults are already taking place, but it's important to know specifically for children and young people. Knowing this information will help clinicians plan future vaccines effectively, and help them give the best possible care to children and young people with JIA during the pandemic.

How do I get involved?

If you and your child would like to take part, and you attend GOSH, contact them through the MyGOSH app. You may shortly receive a letter from them on the app and can respond through that. Alternatively, if you are in clinic soon, speak to your doctor about the OCTAVE study.

You can find out more information from GOSH here.