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KPBS Midday Edition

Vaccinated? Your Poop Could Help COVID-19 Research

A man gets the COVID-19 vaccine at San Diego County's "Vaccination Superstation" in Chula Vista, Calif. Jan. 21, 2021.
Roland Lizarondo
A man gets the COVID-19 vaccine at San Diego County's "Vaccination Superstation" in Chula Vista, Calif. Jan. 21, 2021.
Persephone Biosciences wants to enlist 250 San Diegans to share stool staples to analyze how the COVID-19 vaccine interacts with our bodies.

As more people get vaccinated, how the vaccine interacts with our bodies is still being researched.

One San Diego Biotech company is soliciting stool samples from vaccinated San Diegans to analyze how the vaccine is interacting with gut microbiomes.

The study, titled, Vaccine Observation to Include all Communities for Equitable Science or VOICES, is being overseen by Torrey Pines biotechnology company Persephone Biosciences. The company is inviting vaccinated San Diegans to participate in the study on its web site.

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The company said the resulting study data could help develop new medications to treat COVID-19 and improve vaccine efficacy.

Persephone Biosciences CEO Stephanie Culler joined Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the project.