India has taken its first step to introduce Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS), used in many countries for vaccine and treatment development. Riddled with ethical issues, CHIS has still now been a no-go area for India, but Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Bioethics Unit is set to change this.
Outside of India, this relatively new research model which involves intentionally exposing healthy volunteers to pathogens in a controlled environment, has been used to study malaria, typhoid, dengue, etc.
ICMR’s Bioethics Unit has introduced a consensus policy statement which is now open for comment and argues the case for bringing in CHIS. The document talks of the need, benefits, and challenges associated with CHIS.
