Researchers studying Moderna's SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccine report that its safety profile and immune response in older people is comparable to that in the younger population they tested earlier, according to phase 1 trial results published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).The messenger RNA vaccine is one of only a few COVID-19 vaccines being studied specifically in older patients, despite their vulnerability during the pandemic.While the original study pool for the mRNA-1273 vaccine was for adults ages 18 to 55, the researchers expanded the study to include adults ages 56 to 70 and 71 and older, with 20 participants in each age-group.