F. Stefanovic, I. Robertson, K. Moloney, J. Edelson, S. Nguyen, V. Shinkawa, K. Uchimura, A. Lin, L. Le, J. C. Tokihiro, M. G. Takezawa, D. Phan, J. Schiffer, M. Boeckh, K. N. Adams, A. Waghmare, N. A. Errett, E. Berthier, F. Y. Lim, A. B. Theberge
Background: When leveraged for longitudinal studies, remote sampling with transcriptomic readouts is a powerful tool for studying host immune response. Remote study flexibility circumvents common barriers to research participation including transportation and scheduling. We investigated the effectiveness of a remote design for reaching women from underrepresented, underserved, and underreported (U3) populations per the NIH definition. Methods: U3 women positive for COVID-19 were tracked over the course of 6 months. Participants self-collected nasal and homeRNA-stabilized blood samples. homeRNA is a platform for remote self-collection of blood samples with RNA stabilization. Five samplings were completed in 25 days (month 1). A subset of participants likely to develop post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and their age-matched controls were selected for extended sampling (month 3). All participants were resurveyed at months 4, 5, and 6 about their symptoms. Results: Forty participants were fully enrolled in the study, and 39 completed all study components. Survey responses show high satisfaction in the study, where all participants who completed the study (n = 39/39) indicated they would be willing to participate in a similar study again, with most (n = 32/39) indicating a willingness to participate for up to 4 years with around 15 samples collected per year. Conclusions: The high participant retention (n = 39/40) and satisfaction in this study indicates the utility of a remote study design for longitudinal research. We also find that study topic, flexibility of sampling, and positive interactions with the study team are important factors for participant recruitment and retention.