Coronavirus vaccine Oxford team aim to start lab-controlled human trials

[Judi Lynn]

Jenner Institute at Oxford looks to recruit healthy volunteers for controversial ‘challenge trial’

Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
@hannahdev
Thu 16 Jul 2020 12.11 EDT

The team behind the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine hope to begin tests on volunteers who will be intentionally exposed to the virus in a “challenge trial”, a move seen as controversial since there is no proven cure for the illness.

Although challenge trials, in which healthy volunteers are given a pathogen, are routine in vaccine development, taking the approach for Covid-19, where there is no failsafe treatment if a volunteer becomes severely ill, has been questioned.

In human challenge trials volunteers are intentionally exposed in a controlled laboratory setting, meaning the trial can be completed in weeks and requires far fewer people.

The Oxford vaccine has already been tested in a phase-one trial involving about 1,000 British volunteers, with full details due to be published in the Lancet on Monday. Tens of thousands of people are also being recruited in the UK, Brazil, South Africa and the US for a further stage of testing, known as phase three.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/16/coronavirus-vaccine-oxford-team-volunteers-lab-controlled-human-challenge-trial

[CatLady78]

1. Hmmm

Well these guys are taking one for the team, which I respect. I cannot say I would do that though....