Department of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
mSphere. 2020 Jul 15;5(4):e00669-20. doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00669-20.
Human infection challenge studies involving the intentional infection of research participants with a disease-causing agent have recently been suggested as a means to speed up the search for a vaccine for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Calls for challenge studies, however, rely on the expected social value of these studies. This value represents more than the simple possibility that a successful study will lead to the rapid development and dissemination of vaccines but also some expectation that this will actually occur. I show how this expectation may not be realistic in the current political moment and offer potential ways to make sure that any challenge trials that arise actually achieve their goals.
人体感染挑战研究，即故意使研究参与者感染致病因子，最近被提议作为加快寻找针对持续的 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）爆发的疫苗的一种手段。然而，对挑战研究的呼吁取决于这些研究的预期社会价值。这种价值不仅仅是成功的研究会迅速开发和传播疫苗的可能性，还包括对这种情况发生的某种期望。我展示了在当前的政治环境下，这种期望可能并不现实，并提供了确保任何出现的挑战试验都能实现其目标的潜在方法。
