Major COVID-19 vaccine trial hits recruitment target

Researchers at Imperial College London are celebrating after hitting their recruitment target in a major COVID-19 vaccine trial, with 414 people taking part.

The COVAC1 study — led by Imperial College London and supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) North West London — was one of the first human trials of a new coronavirus vaccine.

Dr Katrina Pollock, Principal Investigator of the trial and Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Vaccinology at Imperial College London, said: “The Imperial self-amplifying RNA vaccine utilises genetic messenger code to precisely deliver a pre-identified protein from SARS-CoV-2 for efficient immune targeting.

“The COVAC trials consortium led by Imperial College London, consisting of multiple national and international stakeholders, is delivering the translation of this pioneering technology to the clinic at pace whilst prioritising safety and data quality.

“The team are immensely grateful for the support we have received from our partners and particularly for the time, energy and enthusiasm of our trial volunteers without whom we could not do this work.”

The trial is testing whether the vaccine is well tolerated in healthy volunteers and provides an effective immune response against COVID-19. If the vaccine generates a positive immune response, a larger phase III trial will involve 6,000 participants.

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