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This study was a non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) Human Challenge Study. Healthy volunteers were “challenged” (deliberately infected) with one of two strains of a particular bacterium called Salmonella Typhimurium. This is a common type of bacteria that normally causes a gut infection (gastroenteritis – diarrhoea and vomiting) in healthy adults.

Learn more about the CHANTS study

The CHIRP-01 study investigated the immune response (i.e., how your body fights infection) to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). While vaccines are effective in preventing severe disease, there was much less evidence on the duration of protection afforded against the virus, the impact of milder disease, and the ability of vaccines to prevent onward transmission. 

The aim of this research was to identify how the immune system responds to RSV infection and how this changed with aging. The hope is that by understanding this, we will be able to design new therapies and create new vaccines against the virus. 

Find out more about the CHIRP01 Study

The purpose of this registry was to establish a list of healthy adult volunteers, 18 to 64 years of age, who may potentially be eligible for participation in influenza or other respiratory infection studies.  The registry will contain information about people and results from blood, nasal and oral tests done on their samples. The information will be used by investigators at ImperiaCollege to screen and contact people who appear eligible for certain research studies.

Read more about the CIVICs 20-0004 study

In this study we aimed to develop a safe human infection model (challenge model) where volunteers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 are exposed to the Omicron BA.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a controlled manner.

The study established a dose of virus required to cause infection (defined by positive throat and nose swabs) but with the aim of causing minimal or no symptoms. For safety purposes, we will had a very strict selection criteria for who can take part and performed close monitoring of participants (including an inpatient quarantine stay).

Find out more about the COVCHIM-02 study

COVID-19 can still infect some people even if they have been previously vaccinated or infected. Researchers wanted to better understand why some people become infected while others do not, and which parts of the immune system help protect against infection.

To answer this question, researchers used a controlled human infection model (CHIM). This type of study can uniquely address scientific questions around infection and immunity. The results from this study can help the development of new vaccines and treatments that will better protect against future variants and reduce spread. 

Find out more about the COVHIC002 study

Imperiawas funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and GlaxoSmithKine (GSK) to conduct a human infection study (also known as a controlled human infection challenge study) with RSV.

Learn more about the INFLAMMAGE study

The COVHIC001 study set out to establish a safe and effective human challenge model for SARS-CoV-2. 36 volunteers aged 18–29 years without evidence of previous infection or vaccination were inoculated with a ‘pre-Alpha’ strain of SARS-CoV-2. The study was led by a partnership between º£½ÇÉçÇø, the Vaccine Taskforce and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), hVIVO (part of Open Orphan plc.), and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The findings of the study were in March 2022. 

Learn more about the COVHIC001 study

In October 2020, Imperiainvestigators . The study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why people succumb to RSV infection and the factors behind varied immune responses. The researchers found that volunteers who succumbed to infection from RSV had more specialised white blood cells called neutrophils in their airways before exposure to the virus, compared to those who staved off infection. 

Find out more about the study's findings in the official news release