Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine trials to start Thursday
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A potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at Oxford University will have its first trials on Thursday after receiving £20m in government funding.
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced today that the government was funding the trial, along with another out of Imperial College which has been given £22.5m.
Hancock said the two teams were “two of the leading vaccine developments taking place” in the world.
He said: “The best way to defeat coronavirus is through a vaccine, after all this is a new disease, this is uncertain science but I am certain we will throw everything we’ve got at developing a vaccine.
“I can announce the vaccine from the Oxford trial will be trialled in people from this Thursday.
“In normal times reaching this stage would take years – I’m very proud of the work taken so far.”
Hancock added that the government was also investing in manufacturing capacity if either of the trials yield a usable coronavirus vaccine.
“We’ll invest in manufacturing capacity, so that if either of these vaccines safely work we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanly possible.
“The upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it.”
Leading the Oxford University trial is professor Sarah Gilbert, a world-leading vaccinologist.
She told the BBC on Sunday that her team was hoping to have a trial vaccine up and running by September, but that it was “very difficult to predict” when it could be ready to administer widely.
With the new funding, the trials have now been brought forward by a full five months.