Expert voices and equal partnerships: establishing Controlled Human Infection Models (CHIMs) in Vietnam.

Evelyne Kestelyn,Mary Chambers,Jennifer Ilo Van Nuil,Bridget Wills,Toan Nguyen Trong,Trung Dinh The,Nguyet Minh Nguyen,Cameron P Simmons,Dung Nguyen The,Hoai Tam Dong Thi,Vinh Chau Nguyen Van,Dung Duc Anh,Le Truc Phuong,Chi Le Phuong,Stephen Baker,Dung Do Van

doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15337.1

Abstract

The number of controlled human infection models (CHIMs) conducted worldwide has increased considerably in recent years, although few have been conducted in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where infectious diseases have the greatest burden. Recently Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) started developing CHIM research proposals motivated by the need to develop a clearer and more grounded understanding of the issues surrounding the conduct of CHIMs in LMICs. To explore initial perceptions and barriers to conducting CHIMs in Vietnam, OUCRU researchers conducted a set of key stakeholder interviews early in 2018 and held a CHIM workshop in HCMC in March 2018. This paper summarizes the discussions from the workshop and outlines a way forward for conducting CHIMs in Vietnam.

Highlights

The development of new vaccines for infectious diseases is an area of unmet need in global health as highlighted by the emergence of various highly pathogenic influenza viruses over the last 20 years and by the more recent outbreaks of Zika and Ebola[1,2,3]
We think that the problems identified and the general principles articulated, are relevant across the spectrum of controlled human infection models (CHIMs) studies involving infectious agents that might be performed in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) settings
Some participants expressed the view that since vaccine candidates tested in CHIM studies are mostly those at an early stage of development, that such infection models can be used as a stop/go for vaccine candidates

Summary

Introduction

The development of new vaccines for infectious diseases is an area of unmet need in global health as highlighted by the emergence of various highly pathogenic influenza viruses over the last 20 years and by the more recent outbreaks of Zika and Ebola[1,2,3]. These global threats have spurred big donors, such as Wellcome, the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Horizon 2020 to invest in controlled human infection models (CHIMs) in which healthy volunteers are intentionally infected with a pathogen. CHIMs can accelerate the testing of new interventions, or be used when there is not enough ongoing transmission of a disease to study interventions in the field

Methods

Results

Conclusion