In human challenge trials, healthy, typically young, volunteers are exposed to infectious pathogens. They have been used for more than a century to define components of the immune response that correlate with protection. They also help scientists better understand the pathogenesis of disease so that vaccines can be designed to more effectively harness the efficiency of the immune system.

Not all human challenge trials have been ethical by current standards, but the WHO has provided ethical guidance on how the trials can advance vaccine science in a safe manner for participants to improve population health.

In this webinar, we will explore current human challenge trials for SARS-CoV-2 and pertussis. The objectives of the webinar will be to:

• Understand the utility and challenge of conducting human challenge trials in Canadian and European contexts.

• Explore the ethical considerations required by investigators and regulators in approving such trials.

This webinar is co-hosted by the University of Toronto’s Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education​ (CAIRE) near World Immunization Week 2022.