Human Challenge Trials (HCT) are clinical trials that study infectious agents and diseases that can be rapidly and completely cured or are known to not have long-term adverse effects in healthy adults to test novel vaccines and treatments.
Human challenge studies have been conducted over hundreds of years on many diseases and have contributed vital scientific knowledge that has led to advances in the development of drugs and vaccines.
The most important consideration for any HCT is ensuring the safety and well-being of the participants. Volunteers are medically screened prior to being exposed to a live challenge agent.
Healthy, informed, and consenting participants who volunteer to be safely exposed to an infectious agent will spend the duration of the study quarantined in a controlled environment where they are continuously monitored for symptoms.
We have over 29 years of experience conducting safe and successful Clinical Trials in Halifax. Our Sanofi Pasteur Vaccine Challenge Unit is a unique in Canada hospital unit consisting of 10 single isolation rooms equipped to control infectious agents. Rooms are designed with participant comfort in mind.