Oxford University is recruiting volunteers to deliberately expose the new coronavirus in the name of science, Reuters reported.
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British scientists are conducting the world’s first such medical experiment with COVID-19, for which they have received explicit permission. They hope the results will help develop better and more effective vaccines.
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The project started in April last year. Its first phase is still underway, which aims to determine how long it takes for the virus to cause an infection. In the second stage, the immune response needed to repel it must be determined, according to a statement released by Oxford University. Scientists are close to discovering the weakest possible viral infection, in which about half of those exposed to it are asymptomatic or mild.
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Specialists then plan to expose volunteers – all must have either been ill before or vaccinated, up to the amount of virus from the original version to determine the level of antibodies or immune T cells needed to prevent infection.
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“This is the immune response we need to be able to challenge it with a new vaccine,” said Helen McShane, a professor at Oxford University and lead researcher.
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The results will help create a future vaccine much faster and more efficiently, the statement said.
For decades, researchers have been developing new treatments for infectious diseases by tracking the reactions of volunteers. However, this is the first time such a study has been conducted with COVID-19.
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The disadvantage is the risk of infection in participants who have contracted the infection, but the university applies precautions. Volunteers must be healthy and between the ages of 18 and 30.
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They will be quarantined for at least seventeen days, and anyone who develops symptoms will be treated.
