Coronavirus vaccine: Oxford team aim to start lab-controlled human trial soon

Jenner Institute at Oxford looks to recruit healthy volunteers for controversial challenge trial'

• Coronavirus - latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

The team behind the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine hope to begin tests on volunteers who will be intentionally exposed to the virus in a challenge trial", a move seen as controversial since there is no proven cure for the illness.

Although challenge trials, in which healthy volunteers are given a pathogen, are routine in vaccine development, taking the approach for Covid-19, where there is no failsafe treatment if a volunteer becomes severely ill, has been questioned.