Accelerating our understanding of infectious diseases

Infecting people on purpose?

Learn how our 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ experts are pioneering this approach to tackle infectious diseases like COVID-19 and malaria in our feature on our human challenge studies.

A human challenge study is a carefully managed medical research study, during which volunteers are intentionally given an infection in a safe way with healthcare support.

Human challenge studies have a unique ability to investigate and understand the onset and development of disease in a controlled environment. They allow researchers to tease out complicated interactions and point out potential targets for prevention, vaccines or treatment that cannot be seen in patients who are infected naturally. 

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ has successfully led several such studies to better understand a range of infectious diseases and, in February 2021, ran the world’s first human challenge study for COVID-19. 

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ also hosts , a Wellcome-funded international network of researchers developing human infection challenge studies to accelerate the development of vaccines against pathogens of high global impact.

All human challenge studies carried out by 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ require ethical approval from the . Trials are designed to minimise risk to study participants, and the health and safety of participants are paramount.

Mucosal Immunity in human Coronavirus Challenge (MUSICC) project

Led by 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ and Professor Chris Chiu, this consortium is an international group of researchers specialising in human challenge studies to develop advanced virus-blocking vaccines.

Announced in 2024, it is laying the crucial groundwork needed to develop the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines that could stop SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses from infecting people in the first place.

The project is co-funded by US $57m (£44m) from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme and CEPI (the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations).

Current studies

Flu: GERMINATE

OPEN TO RECRUITMENT

We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 18 - 40 years old to take part in the Germinate Study.

Participants will attend for a pre-screening visit to assess their existing immunity. If you meet our criteria, you may then be invited to the full screening visit. Participants who are eligible after screening will either join the vaccine arm and receive a flu vaccine, or they will join the challenge arm and be deliberately infected with the H3N2 flu virus.

Learn more about the GERMINATE study

CHANTS Study

CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT

We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 18 – 50 years old to take part in a new non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) Human Challenge Study.

Learn more about the CHANTS Study

COVID-19: COVHIC002

CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT

We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 18-30 years old to take part in a new COVID-19 Human Challenge Study.

The study involves a screening visit, a quarantine stay, during which you will be deliberately infected with the COVID-19 virus and carefully monitored until discharge, followed by five follow-up visits over the course of 12 months.

If you are eligible to take part, you will be paid up to £4,470 for time and inconvenience.

Learn more

COVID-19: COVCHIM-02

OPEN TO RECRUITMENT

We're looking for healthy volunteers aged 18-40 years old who are willing to travel to the 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ Clinical Research Facility at Hammersmith Hospital for outpatient visits, and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for the inpatient stay.

This study involves a screening visit, a quarantine stay during which you will be deliberately infected with the COVID-19 virus and carefully monitored until discharge. You will be in the study for 6 months from enrolment till your last appointment.

Learn more

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): CHIRP01

CLOSED TO RECRUITMENT

We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 65 - 75 years old to take part in an RSV Challenge Study.

The study involves a screening visit, a residential stay during which you will be deliberately infected with RSV and carefully monitored until discharge, followed by 3 follow-up visits over the course of 6 months.

If you are eligible to take part, you will be paid up to £2,200-2,500 for time and inconvenience.

Learn more

Related studies

A digital image of lungs - Image by David Sánchez-Medina Calderón on Pixabay

BARRIER study

We are looking for 36 people with bronchiectasis aged 18 to 65 and 18 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 65 to take part in a rhinovirus human challenge study.

Visit BARRIER Study for more information

CIVICs 20-0004 study

We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 18 – 64 years old to join our registry! Suitable participants will provide a blood sample every 3 months for up to 5 years.

Participants will be part of our registry and invited to join future virus challenge and vaccine studies exploring respiratory illnesses.

You will be paid £30 per visit for your time and expenses.

Learn more

Past studies

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): INFLAMMAGE

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and GlaxoSmithKine (GSK) to conduct a human infection study (also known as a controlled human infection challenge study) with RSV.

Learn more about the INFLAMMAGE study

COVID-19

The COVHIC001 study set out to establish a safe and effective human challenge model for SARS-CoV-2. 36 volunteers aged 18–29 years without evidence of previous infection or vaccination were inoculated with a ‘pre-Alpha’ strain of SARS-CoV-2. The study was led by a partnership between 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, the Vaccine Taskforce and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), hVIVO (part of Open Orphan plc.), and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The findings of the study were in March 2022. 

Learn more about the COVHIC001 study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

In October 2020, 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ investigators . The study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why people succumb to RSV infection and the factors behind varied immune responses. The researchers found that volunteers who succumbed to infection from RSV had more specialised white blood cells called neutrophils in their airways before exposure to the virus, compared to those who staved off infection. 

Find out more about the study's findings in the official news release