A human challenge study, also called a challenge trial or controlled human infection model (CHIM), is a type of clinical trial for a vaccine or other pharmaceutical involving the intentional exposure of the test subject to the condition tested. [1] [2] [3] Human challenge studies may be ethically controversial because they involve exposing test subjects to dangers beyond those posed by potential side effects of the substance being tested. [2] [3] Controlled human infection studies are also used to study viruses and immune responses. [4] [5]
During the mid 20th and 21st century, the number of human challenge studies has been increasing. [6] [7] A challenge study to test promising vaccines for prevention of COVID-19 was under consideration during 2020 by several vaccine developers, including the World Health Organization (WHO), [8] [9] and was approved in the UK in 2021. [10]
Over the second half of the 20th and the 21st centuries, vaccines for some 15 major pathogens have been fast-tracked in human challenge studies while contributing toward vaccine development to prevent cholera, typhoid, seasonal flu, and other infections. [11] Since the 1980s, challenge trials which reported about adverse events have had only 0.2% of patients with serious adverse events, and no deaths. [6] According to medical ethicists, methods of conducting clinical trials by human challenge testing have improved over the 21st century to satisfy ethical, safety, and regulatory requirements, becoming scientifically acceptable and ethically valid as long as participants are well-informed and volunteer freely, and the trials adhere to established rigor for conducting clinical research. [2] [3] [11]
The intent of a challenge study is to fast-track the timeline for providing evidence of safety and efficacy of a therapeutic drug or vaccine, especially by compressing (to a few months) the usually lengthy duration of Phase II–III trials (typically, many years). [2] [3] [12] Following preliminary proof of safety and efficacy of a candidate drug or vaccine in laboratory animals and healthy humans, controlled "challenge" studies may be implemented to bypass typical Phase III research, providing an accelerated path to regulatory approval of the test compound for widespread prevention against an infectious disease, such as COVID-19. [2] [9]
The design of a challenge study involves first, simultaneously testing a vaccine candidate for immunogenicity and safety in laboratory animals and healthy adult volunteers (100 or fewer) –which is usually a sequential process using animals first –and second, rapidly advancing its effective dose into a large-scale Phase II–III trial in low-risk, healthy volunteers (such as young adults), who would then be deliberately infected with the disease being tested against for comparison with a placebo control group. [2] [3] [9] In a challenge study for a vaccine to prevent an infectious disease, participants would be closely monitored for signs of toxicity and adequate immune response, such as by producing substantial levels of antibodies against the virus causing the disease. [2] [3] [8]
Awareness of the history of challenge trials is indispensable, including trials that were problematic or even connected to abuse. [13] Special ethical issues can arise when a wealthy country finances and organizes these clinical trials in a less wealthy country. [14]
Two commonly discussed general thresholds for risk to research participant are minimizing all risk after the infection and avoiding serious injury. [15] Researchers typically customize other thresholds for each clinical trial. [15]
Common reasons for participating in human challenge studies include altruism and wishing to contribute to medical progress. [16] [17] People who participate in these studies might be more altruistic in general than others, including possibly more likely to contribute to their communities in other ways, such as donating blood. [17]
Challenge studies have been used to expedite evaluation of vaccines for several diseases, [3] such as cholera, [18] typhoid fever, [19] malaria, [20] influenza, [1] streptococcal pharyngitis, [21] tuberculosis, [22] shigella, [23] pertussis, [24] and dengue fever. [25]
Other than expediting clinical evaluation of vaccine properties, advantages of using challenge studies for vaccine candidates include minimizing bias which is inherently part of traditional cohort studies, as both the exposure (timing of infection, virus challenge dose) and outcome (assessment of blood biomarkers) are standardized. [20] Disadvantages include high cost of conducting the trial at multiple locations and the complex management of infrastructure for a challenge trial, especially for obtaining national regulatory approval, organizing participants and trial personnel, and implementing laboratories with Good Clinical Laboratory Practice qualifications. [20] Before beginning a challenge study, a vaccine sponsor must have demonstrated Good Manufacturing Practice standards for approval to use the candidate vaccine in humans, including expensive toxicology and immunogenicity testing. [20] [26] The vaccine sponsor may have required proof of safety and efficacy of adjuvants for delivering the vaccine, demonstrated what the effective vaccination schedule may be, and coordinated with international regulatory agencies and bioethicists for approval and eventual distribution, all requiring coordinated financing and planning. [20]
Human challenge studies were under consideration to hasten the development of a COVID-19 vaccine in the early stages of the pandemic, [3] [9] [27] including one proposal made by bioethicist Nir Eyal, [2] and another by rubella vaccine inventor Stanley Plotkin with bioethicist Arthur Caplan. [26] These authors propose that the multi-year duration and multinational location of a typical Phase III efficacy clinical trial will continue as usual, while people infected with COVID-19 will continue to suffer or die. [26] As an alternative based on emerging results from COVID-19 vaccine challenge studies, regulatory agencies could allow early emergency use of the vaccine, while the challenge study continues collecting data for eventual licensure. [26]
In May 2020, a guidance document was issued by the WHO on criteria for conducting challenge clinical trials and providing clinical care for the participants. [8] Following the challenge infection with or without the candidate vaccine, volunteers would be monitored closely in hospitals or clinics managed by physicians treating people with COVID-19 disease and with life-saving resources, if needed. [2] [3] [8] Volunteering for a vaccine challenge study during the COVID-19 pandemic is likened to the emergency service of healthcare personnel for COVID-19-infected people, firefighters, or organ donors. [2] [3]
Human SARS-CoV-2 challenge studies have also been conducted to investigate the viral infection and immune response kinetics in COVID-19. [4] [5] Unlike patient-based studies, challenge studies provide a unique opportunity to examine the immune system before viral exposure, immediately after exposure, and in individuals who do not become infected upon exposure. These studies have enabled scientists to identify a biomarker for protection and discover that various distinct immune responses precede symptom onset, including some that are also present in individuals who do not become infected upon exposure. [5]
In March 2024, funding for a five-year international consortium to develop and run human challenge studies for mucosal (transmission-blocking) Covid vaccines was announced on behalf of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). [28] Called Mucosal Immunity in human Coronavirus Challenge (MusiCC) and led by Imperial College London, trials are planned to take place in the UK, Europe, Singapore, and the United States. [28] Representatives of the consortium and its Scientific Advisory Board met in April 2024 to start the project. [29] At that meeting, a speaker from CEPI said that human challenge studies were a part of the goal of achieving vaccines for new pandemic diseases in 100 days. [29]
An HIV vaccine is a potential vaccine that could be either a preventive vaccine or a therapeutic vaccine, which means it would either protect individuals from being infected with HIV or treat HIV-infected individuals. It is thought that an HIV vaccine could either induce an immune response against HIV or consist of preformed antibodies against HIV.
In immunology, seroconversion is the development of specific antibodies in the blood serum as a result of infection or immunization, including vaccination. During infection or immunization, antigens enter the blood, and the immune system begins to produce antibodies in response. Before seroconversion, the antigen itself may or may not be detectable, but the antibody is absent. During seroconversion, the antibody is present but not yet detectable. After seroconversion, the antibody is detectable by standard techniques and remains detectable unless the individual seroreverts, in a phenomenon called seroreversion, or loss of antibody detectability, which can occur due to weakening of the immune system or decreasing antibody concentrations over time. Seroconversion refers the production of specific antibodies against specific antigens, meaning that a single infection could cause multiple waves of seroconversion against different antigens. Similarly, a single antigen could cause multiple waves of seroconversion with different classes of antibodies. For example, most antigens prompt seroconversion for the IgM class of antibodies first, and subsequently the IgG class.
Vaccine efficacy or vaccine effectiveness is the percentage reduction of disease cases in a vaccinated group of people compared to an unvaccinated group. For example, a vaccine efficacy or effectiveness of 80% indicates an 80% decrease in the number of disease cases among a group of vaccinated people compared to a group in which nobody was vaccinated. When a study is carried out using the most favorable, ideal or perfectly controlled conditions, such as those in a clinical trial, the term vaccine efficacy is used. On the other hand, when a study is carried out to show how well a vaccine works when they are used in a bigger, typical population under less-than-perfectly controlled conditions, the term vaccine effectiveness is used.
GeoVax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company which develops vaccines. GeoVax's development platform uses Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector technology, with improvements to antigen design and manufacturing capabilities. GeoVax uses recombinant DNA or recombinant viruses to produce virus-like particles (VLPs) in the person being vaccinated.
A Cytomegalovirus vaccine is a vaccine to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or curb virus re-activation in persons already infected. Challenges in developing a vaccine include adeptness of CMV in evading the immune system and limited animal models. As of 2018 no such vaccine exists, although a number of vaccine candidates are under investigation. They include recombinant protein, live attenuated, DNA and other vaccines.
HVTN 505 is a clinical trial testing an HIV vaccine regimen on research participants. The trial is conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Vaccinations were stopped in April 2013 due to initial results showing that the vaccine was ineffective in preventing HIV infections and lowering viral load among those participants who had become infected with HIV. All study participants will continue to be monitored for safety and any long-term effects.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Most scientists believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus entered into human populations through natural zoonosis, similar to the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV outbreaks, and consistent with other pandemics in human history. Social and environmental factors including climate change, natural ecosystem destruction and wildlife trade increased the likelihood of such zoonotic spillover. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of synthetic DNA products for treating cancers and infectious diseases. In April 2020, Inovio was among some 100 companies, academic centers, or research organizations developing a vaccine candidate for treating people infected with COVID-19, with more than 170 total vaccine candidates in development.
Vaxart, Inc. is an American biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of oral recombinant vaccines administered using temperature-stable tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration, eliminating the need for needle injection. Its development programs for oral vaccine delivery include prophylactic, enteric-coated tablet vaccines for inhibiting norovirus, seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and human papillomavirus. It was founded in 2004 by Sean Tucker. Originally incorporated as West Coast Biologicals, Inc. in California in 2004, the company later changed its name to Vaxart, Inc. in July 2007, after reincorporating in Delaware. A significant development in the company's history was the reverse merger with Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc. on February 13, 2018, which led to Vaxart becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aviragen. Post-merger, the company continued as Vaxart, Inc.
A COVID‑19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19).
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The transmission of COVID-19 is the passing of coronavirus disease 2019 from person to person. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets/aerosols and small airborne particles containing the virus. Infected people exhale those particles as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing. Transmission is more likely the closer people are. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors.
ChAdOx1 is an adenoviral vector for vaccines that was developed by the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford. The vector is a chimpanzee adenovirus modified to avoid its replication.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was isolated in late 2019. Its genetic sequence was published on 11 January 2020, triggering an urgent international response to prepare for an outbreak and hasten the development of a preventive COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2020, vaccine development has been expedited via unprecedented collaboration in the multinational pharmaceutical industry and between governments. By June 2020, tens of billions of dollars were invested by corporations, governments, international health organizations, and university research groups to develop dozens of vaccine candidates and prepare for global vaccination programs to immunize against COVID‑19 infection. According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the geographic distribution of COVID‑19 vaccine development shows North American entities to have about 40% of the activity, compared to 30% in Asia and Australia, 26% in Europe, and a few projects in South America and Africa.
EpiVacCorona is a peptide-based vaccine against COVID-19 developed by the Russian VECTOR Center of Virology. The lack of protective effectiveness of EpiVacCorona, which is still in use in Russia, has been reported in scientific literature and in the media. The vaccine consists of three chemically synthesized peptides that are conjugated to a large carrier protein. This protein is a fusion product of a viral nucleocapsid protein and a bacterial MBP protein. A phase III clinical trial to show whether or not the vaccine can protect people against COVID-19 was launched in November 2020 with more than three thousand participants. The conclusions and results of the trial have not been made public.
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COVID-19 vaccine clinical research uses clinical research to establish the characteristics of COVID-19 vaccines. These characteristics include efficacy, effectiveness, and safety. As of November 2022, 40 vaccines are authorized by at least one national regulatory authority for public use:
Endothelial cell tropism or endotheliotropism is a type of tissue tropism or host tropism that characterizes an pathogen's ability to recognize and infect an endothelial cell. Pathogens, such as viruses, can target a specific tissue type or multiple tissue types. Like other cells, the endothelial cell possesses several features that supports a productive viral infection a cell including, cell surface receptors, immune responses, and other virulence factors. Endothelial cells are found in various tissue types such as in the capillaries, veins, and arteries in the human body. As endothelial cells line these blood vessels and critical networks that extend access to various human organ systems, the virus entry into these cells can be detrimental to virus spread across the host system and affect clinical course of disease. Understanding the mechanisms of how viruses attach, enter, and control endothelial functions and host responses inform infectious disease understanding and medical countermeasures.
William Paul Duprex is a British scientist and advocate for vaccines and global health. He serves as Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Vaccine Research and Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. Duprex holds the Jonas Salk Chair in Vaccine Research. He is also a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of General Virology, which is published by the Microbiology Society, and a senior editor of mSphere, published by the American Society for Microbiology. Duprex is an expert in measles and mumps viruses and studies viral spillover from animals to humans, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Duprex is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.