UK to Launch First Human Challenge Study for COVID-19

A specially convened UK clinical trial ethics committee has given the go-ahead for a COVID-19 human challenge study that is slated to start within weeks to help inform further vaccine and treatment research.

The UK government previously drew up an agreement in October with hVIVO, a subsidiary of contract research organization OpenOrphan, to conduct the study.

The small-scale trial will include up to 90 healthy adult volunteers age 18 to 30 years who will be exposed to the virus in a controlled setting. It looks to establish a model to use for COVID-19 challenge studies and determine the lowest dose of virus that causes infection, according to Andrew Catchpole, hVIVO’s chief scientific officer.