hVIVO PLC (AIM:HVO) chief scientific officer Dr Andrew Catchpole talked with Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about a newly signed contract with Traws to conduct an influenza human challenge trial, designed to evaluate a prophylactic antiviral drug.
Dr Catchpole explained that the study will use one of hVIVO’s recently developed influenza challenge models, which deliver “really robust infection rates and really good disease profiles, ideal for testing antiviral candidates.” The trial will involve 150 participants, reflecting a broader industry trend toward larger, more data-rich human challenge trials (HCTs).
He highlighted that the contract demonstrates hVIVO’s fully integrated service offering, with the company managing every stage of the study in-house - from protocol design and recruitment through to laboratory analysis and data management. This approach allows for greater efficiency and consistency across the trial process.
Dr Catchpole also emphasised the advantages of HCTs over traditional field trials, particularly for seasonal viruses like influenza. He noted that human challenge trials remove uncertainty around virus circulation, enabling fixed timelines and budgets. As he put it: “We can assure them that we can complete the whole study within this desired time frame, because we're not at the whims of whether the virus is circulating in the community.”
The discussion also explored how larger trials allow for more endpoints, multiple dosing arms, and deeper data analysis, ultimately helping to de-risk later-stage clinical development.
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