Clinical trials begin for COVID-19 vaccine developed by team led by Andy Pollard

On 23 April, the first two of over 1,000 volunteers began a trial for the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, which aims to protect healthy people from contracting COVID-19 by generating in those indivduals an immune response against the virus. The vaccine was developed by a team of University of Oxford researchers led by St Cross College Vice-Master Andy Pollard.

Pollard's team, a collaboration of the Jenner Group and the Oxford Vaccine Group, also includes Professor Sarah Gilbert, Professor Teresa Lambe, Dr Sandy Douglas and Professor Adrian Hill. The project began on 10 January 2020 and recruited volunteers for clinical trials throughout March. Pollard said, ‘Starting the clinical trials is the first step in the efforts to find out whether the new vaccine being developed at Oxford University works and could safely play a central role in controlling the pandemic coronavirus that is sweeping the globe.’

You can read more about the trials here.

For more information on St Cross College's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, visit our Information & Resources page. Additional information from the University is available here.

Riley Lewis

24 April 2020