A new Covid vaccine study run by Medicago and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has opened in the north-east, with volunteers needed.
The companies have launched a randomised, blind, placebo-controlled study into their plant-derived Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
They are looking to recruit 1,500 volunteers across the UK to take part.
Medicago is a Canadian biopharmaceutical company, while GSK is British.
Healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 39 are being asked to take part in the study where they will all be given a dose of the vaccine.
Recruitment will take place over the next four to six weeks.
How will it work?
The study is the first to test a Covid vaccine derived from a plant and will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Coronavirus-Like Particle Covid-19 Vaccine (CoVLP).
Participants will receive two doses of the experimental vaccine, and two doses of a placebo.
There will be two rounds of vaccinations, where two injections will be given 21 days apart.
Those who receive the CoVLP vaccine in the first period will receive the placebo in the second period and vice versa.
Study participants will then be followed up for safety and immunogenicity for 12 months after their last vaccination.
NHS Grampian will join several sites across the UK in running the study, with additional studies ongoing in the USA, Canada, Europe and Latin America.
It is supported in the UK by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), NHS Research Scotland (NRS) and Health and Care Research Wales.
How can you get involved?
Some of the volunteers involved in the trial will be identified through the NHS Covid-19 Vaccine Research Registry, which has more than 460,000 people signed up.
They have given their permission to be contacted about taking part in studies but more volunteers are still needed.
Dr Roy Soiza, consultant physician at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and study lead in Grampian, encouraged local residents to take part in the trial if they are able to.
He said: “Clinical studies into Covid-19 vaccines remain critical to help find several safe and effective candidates to help protect us all.
“Volunteers in the Grampian region are still needed to help carry out these studies.
“We had an overwhelming response to previous vaccines trials and encourage interested participants to visit nhs.uk/researchcontact to sign up to be contacted about taking part in Covid-19 vaccine studies.”
Dr Chrissie Jones, Associate Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at University of Southampton, and chief investigator for the study added: “Clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines are still needed in the UK to ensure that we have access to a range of different vaccines which are safe and effective.
“The Medicago Covid-19 vaccine candidate is developed within plants which produce non-infectious versions of the virus.”
Previous north-east studies
Last year, another potential Covid vaccine was trialled across Aberdeen.
Novovax was administered to volunteers across the city, with about 450 people taking part in tests.
The UK has ordered 60m doses of the vaccine, but it has yet to be approved for use in the country.
Approval is expected soon from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and it is already being manufactured in England.
In January 2021, its phase three trials found it had 89.3% efficacy and provided strong immunity against new variants, including the Kent one.