Open Orphan to develop UK Covid-19 human challenge study model

Clinical research organisation (CRO) Open Orphan has signed a contract with the UK government to develop a Covid-19 human challenge study model.

The model will be developed by Open Orphan’s subsidiary hVIVO and will involve the manufacture of the challenge virus which help researchers determine the optimum dose for use in future human challenge studies. These studies are aimed at helping scientists develop vaccines and antivirals for infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

Human challenge studies are similar to clinical trials but will deliberately infect volunteers with an infectious agent in order to determine the efficacy of certain therapies. They are used to accelerate the development of therapies as beneficial data can be gathered during the studies which can help with regulatory approval.

hVIVO’s contract starts immediately and could be worth £10 million depending upon the final number of volunteers. The UK government has secured the first three slots to test vaccines using hVIVO's Covid-19 challenge study, which is expected to start in 2021. The study is being sponsored by Imperial College London and will be conducted at The Royal Free Hospital's specialist research unit in London.

Cathal Friel, executive chairman, Open Orphan, said: "At Open Orphan we are pleased to be working on behalf of the UK Government and in partnership with two great institutions, Imperial College London and The Royal Free Hospital. We look forward to working with our partners to develop a Covid-19 human challenge study model which will be used to safely accelerate the discovery of effective vaccines and antivirals against Covid-19. We hope our work will reduce the impact of Covid-19 on individuals and communities, and our thoughts go out to the many people whose lives have been affected by the pandemic."

Alok Sharma, business secretary, UK Government, said: "We are doing everything we can to fight coronavirus, including backing our best and brightest scientists and researchers in their hunt for a safe and effective vaccine. The funding announced today for these ground-breaking but carefully controlled studies marks an important next step in building on our understanding of the virus and accelerating the development of our most promising vaccines which will ultimately help in beginning our return to normal life."

If you are interested in being contacted and provided with details about future Covid-19 human challenge study research, please visit www.UKCovidChallenge.com.