A Clinical Trial to Determine the Safety and Immunogenicity of Healthy Candidate MERS-CoV Vaccine (MERS002)

This is an open-label, dose escalation phase 1b trial to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the candidate ChAdOx1 MERS vaccine in healthy Middle Eastern adult volunteers aged 18-50. The first-in-human trial is now being conducted in Oxford in UK healthy adult volunteers. The vaccine will be administered intramuscularly.

Volunteers will be recruited and vaccinated at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, M-NGHA, Riyadh. There will be 3 study groups and a total of 24 volunteers will be enrolled. Staggered enrolment will apply for the first three volunteers within each group. Volunteers will be first recruited into Group 1 and subsequently into Groups 2 and 3 following interim clinical safety reviews. Volunteers will be allocated to a study group by selecting eligible volunteers for enrolment in the order in which they were deemed eligible, following screening.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy* ME adults aged 18 to 50 years
• Able and willing (in the Investigator's opinion) to comply with all study requirements
• Willing to allow the investigators to access the volunteer's medical history.
• For females only, not planning to get pregnant during the study and a negative pregnancy test on the day(s) of screening and vaccination. Effective methods of contraception must be used. See section 6.3.3
• Agreement to refrain from blood donation during the course of the study
• Provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Participation in another research study involving receipt of an investigational product in the 30 days preceding enrolment, or planned use during the study period
• Prior receipt of an investigational vaccine likely to impact on interpretation of the trial data.
• Administration of immunoglobulins and/or any blood products within the three months preceding the planned administration of the vaccine candidate
• Any confirmed or suspected immunosuppressive or immunodeficient state, including HIV infection; asplenia; recurrent, severe infections and chronic (more than 14 days) immunosuppressant medication within the past 6 months (inhaled and topical steroids are allowed)
• History of allergic disease or reactions likely to be exacerbated by any component of the vaccine
• Any history of hereditary angioedema, acquired angioedema, or idiopathic angioedema.
• Any history of anaphylaxis in relation to vaccination
• Pregnancy, lactation or willingness/intention to become pregnant during the study
• History of cancer (except basal cell carcinoma of the skin and cervical carcinoma in situ)
• History of serious psychiatric condition likely to affect participation in the study
• Bleeding disorder (eg. factor deficiency, coagulopathy or platelet disorder), or prior history of significant bleeding or bruising following IM injections or venepuncture
• Any other serious chronic illness requiring hospital specialist supervision
• Suspected or known current alcohol use.
• Suspected or known drug abuse in the 5 years preceding enrolment
• Seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
• Seropositive for hepatitis C virus (antibodies to HCV)
• Any clinically significant abnormal finding on screening biochemistry or haematology blood tests or urinalysis
• Any other significant disease, disorder or finding which may significantly increase the risk to the volunteer because of participation in the study, affect the ability of the volunteer to participate in the study or impair interpretation of the study data
• History of exposure to MERS-CoV *
• History of contact with camels. Defined as working in farms or barns; having been within 6 feet (2 meters) of a sick camel without PPE; or consumption of raw milk or uncooked meat. For this study, 30 days prior to screening will be considered.
• History of allergic reaction to Aminoglycoside antibiotics. *rRT-PCR testing of nasopharyngeal specimen , at the discretion of PI, may be indicated when a volunteer is suspected to be asymptomatic carrier.