Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to play key role in coronavirus vaccine trial

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is taking part in a national research trial to investigate how well a potential coronavirus vaccine could protect against the disease.
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Sheffield hospitals will play a leading role in the trial to determine the effectiveness of a new Covid-19 vaccine.

The pioneering study will assess how well the new vaccine developed by Oxford University, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, can generate an effective immune response against coronavirus in a wide range of people.

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The trial, which is being run in partnership with the University of Sheffield and other healthcare organisations across the city, aims to recruit over 1,000 healthy volunteers from Sheffield to take part in the research.

The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccineThe ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine
The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine

Many of the volunteers work in frontline, public facing roles roles and are therefore at higher risk of being exposed to COVID-19.

Dr Tom Darton, Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Florey Advanced Clinical Fellow at the University of Sheffield explained:

“People taking part in the trial will be randomised to receive a single dose of either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or a licensed meningitis vaccine (MenACWY) which will be used as a ‘control’ for comparison.

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Participants will only be able to find out if they received the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine at the end of the trial.

“This is to ensure there is no bias during the trial, as people can act differently towards their health if they are aware of the vaccine they have received.”

The study, which will take up to a year to complete, will require participants to visit the Royal Hallamshire up to eight times for assessment and blood tests to ensure they are in good health.

The Sheffield-based work is supported by the Sheffield National Institute for Health Research’s Clinical Research Facility, based at the city’s Royal Hallamshire and Northern General Hospitals.

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Dr Darton added: “Many of us working on this study have been caring for patients with COVID-19 since cases were first detected in the UK back in February, and so we are delighted to now be able to contribute to this crucial stage of vaccine development and disease prevention efforts.

“Our work builds on the ongoing efforts by the trust and university, which has already provided new insights into the science, diagnosis and new therapeutics for those affected by the pandemic.”

Professor Simon Heller, Director of Research and Development at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We are delighted to be at the forefront of the national effort to test this potential new vaccine for COVID-19 in Sheffield.

“We have a long and proud history of developing and contributing to key clinical research and I am immensely proud of the teams here and at the University of Sheffield who have worked so hard to bring this hugely important research trial to Sheffield.”

To find out more information about the trial and how to get involved visit their website or email [email protected].