You are invited to take part in a study to investigate a new vaccine against Lassa virus. The study is being led by the Oxford Vaccine Group, which is part of the University of Oxford. The study will take place at the Oxford Vaccine Group in Headington, Oxford.

If you are aged between 18 and 55 years, in good health and able to attend regular face-to-face visits in Headington, Oxford, you may be eligible to take part. We will reimburse you up to £1,570 for your time, travel and inconvenience. The study will last for one year.

Background

Lassa fever is caused by a virus that poses a threat to approximately 60 million people living in West Africa. The virus is carried by a common type of rodent, which can pass it to humans. Lassa infection can lead to significant disability or even be fatal, and there are currently no vaccines available to protect against it.
The University of Oxford has developed a new vaccine, called ChAdOx1 LassaJ, which may provide protection against Lassa fever during disease outbreaks. The vaccine has been produced with similar technology to that used for the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. This study will be the first time that ChAdOx1 LassaJ has been given to humans. We aim to confirm the vaccine’s safety and investigate the immune response to vaccination.

Study details

If you are eligible and decide to take part, you will receive two doses (12 weeks apart) of the study vaccine or a saltwater placebo, given as injections into your upper arm. There is a 100% chance of getting the vaccine if you are in the first six participants to be recruited, and an 80% chance of getting the vaccine if you are in the subsequent 25 participants. You will need to attend up to 15 face-to-face appointments at the Oxford Vaccine Group. You will have blood tests and be reviewed by a study clinician at each visit to check the safety of the vaccine and your immune response, and will receive hearing tests at the start and end of the study. You will be asked to record any symptoms following vaccination in an electronic diary.

All visits will take place at the Oxford Vaccine Group, which is based at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LE

Further information

If you would like to find out more, please read the Participant Information Sheet:

If you have further questions after reading this, please contact us on:

Email: info@ovg.ox.ac.uk

Phone: 01865 611400

Register your interest

If you have read the Participant Information Sheet and are interested in joining the study, please complete the online screening questions: