Scientists at Oxford University plan to reinfect dozens of adult volunteers with coronavirus in the second UK clinical trial to study the intended quarantined Covid-19 infection – this time among people who have recovered. already from the virus.
Such “human challenge” studies are controversial because they involve the deliberate infection of healthy people, and the United Kingdom is the only country to lead them so far with Covid-19, the researchers said.
The new study focuses on researching the boundaries of human immunity and the effects of the virus on the body from the moment of reinfection. A better understanding of protection against previous diseases will help speed up new treatments and vaccines, say Oxford researchers.
The first Covid-19 challenge study, led by infectious disease researchers at Imperial College London, began in March with a handful of isolated volunteers at London’s Royal Free Hospital, part of the state-funded National Health Service. The study received a commitment of over $ 45 million from the British government.
The Oxford process is funded by the Wellcome Trust of London, a charitable foundation focused on healthcare. Up to 64 people between the ages of 18 and 30 will be quarantined in staggered phases at Oxford University Hospitals at intervals of about 17 days, starting next month, according to Helen McShane, an Oxford vaccinologist leading the trial. .