COVID-19 vaccine trial begins in Leeds
Hundreds of volunteers from the region are taking part in a study to test the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The trial, overseen by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will test the safety and effectiveness of a new vaccine developed by US biotechnology company Novavax.
Over the next six weeks, more than 600 people who have signed up to the NHS Vaccine Registry are expected to take part in the study, which is being partly-hosted at The Edge, the University of Leeds’ sports centre.
Chris Twelves is Professor of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Oncology at the University’s School of Medicine and Director of the NIHR Leeds Clinical Research Facility at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. He said: “This vaccine trial in Leeds was only possible because of the hard work and dedication from the Leeds, Harrogate and York city-wide multidisciplinary COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Delivery Team.”
The trial is part of a wider phase three study that will involve thousands of people, giving researchers insights into the effects of a vaccine in a large population, half of whom will receive the vaccine and half a “dummy” injection.
