The power of human challenge studies in tackling infections
Read a summary of how deliberately infecting healthy volunteers with a disease could help to save the lives of many more people and meet the people leading these studies.
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ is a leader in human challenge studies and led the first human challenge studies for COVID-19. These are carefully managed medical research studies, during which volunteers are intentionally given an infection in a safe way with healthcare support. By providing careful control of the timing and dose of an introduced pathogen, they provide unique insight into the timeline of immunity, capturing the path of infection from the moment a person is exposed, through their infection, and beyond the point they are clear it.
All human challenge studies carried out by ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ require ethical approval from the . Trials are designed to minimise risk to study participants, and the health and safety of participants are paramount.
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ-led global human challenge study networks
MusiCC (Mucosal Immunity in human Coronavirus Challenge)
Global human challenge consortium to push for next generation of vaccines.
Experts working in this area:
- : Characterising recombinant viruses for use in human challenge studies.
- : Design systems, behaviour analytics, communication, ethics.
- : Human Challenge studies, including Coronaviruses, RSV, influenza. Leads Mucosal Immunity in human Coronavirus Challenge (MusiCC) project. Led world's first COVID-19 challenge trial.
- Human challenge studies, including for Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (CHANTS project).
- : Rotavirus challenge model using live-attenuated vaccine in children in Zambia.
- : Bioinformatics, transcriptomics in the context of human challenge studies.
- : Human challenge studies in influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2.
- : Malaria human challenge studies.
- : Human challenge studies to study transmission. PI for SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant human challenge study.
- : Human challenge studies in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2.
- : Research on public involvement and engagement in Human Challenge research
Examples: Listen and watch
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Key human challenge studies
Open to recruitment
- COVID-19-COVCHIM-02: A new human challenge study for COVID-19.
- CHANTS study: Non-typhoidal Salmonella human challenge model: A safety and dose escalation study
Closed to recruitment/past studies
- COVHIC001 : The world's first human challenge study for COVID-19
- COVHIC002: COVID-19 human challenge study.
- RSV CHIRP01: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) human challenge study.
- INFLAMMAGE: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) human challenge study.
- : The development of a human model of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
- : Controlled Human Malaria Infection in Semi-Immune Kenyan Adults.
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