India Takes Its First Step Towards Opening Door To CHIS

Relevance: GS2 - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health; GS3 - Awareness in the field of Biotechnology

(Source: The Hindu, 07/25/2023)

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Why in the news?

Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) Bioethics Unit has taken a significant step by proposing the introduction of Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS) in the country, which is used in many countries for vaccine and treatment development.

About Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS)

• It refers to the research methodology that involves intentionally exposing healthy human volunteers to a specific pathogen or infectious agent under controlled conditions.
• This is done in order to better understand human diseases, how they spread, and find new ways to prevent and treat them.
• It plays a vital role to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and drugs designed to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

Benefits of CHIS

• It offers accelerated, cost-effective, and efficient outcomes compared to large-scale clinical trials.
• By studying infectious diseases through CHIS, it can significantly improve pandemic preparedness.
• Vaccine Researchers can use data related to immune responses in early vaccine development.
• Researchers can closely monitor the development and progression of an infectious disease from its earliest stage.
• It can improve understanding of specific aspects of the transmission patterns and dynamics that contribute to the development of effective public health strategies and policies.

Challenges Associated with CHIS

• The risk in such trials is that intentionally infecting healthy people with an active virus and causing them to be sick is against medical ethics.
• Hence, the study protocol must clearly define the selection and screening criteria for assigning them to intervention.
• It is a highly complex area and requires collaborations at different levels between researchers, institutions, organizations or between different countries.

Need for CHIS in India

• India carries a high burden of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, which contribute about 30% of the disease burden in the country.
  • To alleviate this situation, ICMR underscores the urgent need for novel, efficient, and cost-effective research methods.
  • CHIS can provide unique insights into disease pathogenesis and expedite the development of novel medical interventions.

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FAQs

MCQ

Question: Which of the following statements is correct about Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS)?

(a) Studies that involve deliberately infecting volunteers with pathogens without any control measures.

(b) Studies that study diseases in natural settings without any intervention.

(c) Studies that intentionally expose healthy volunteers to pathogens in a controlled environment.

(d) Studies that investigate the spread of diseases among vulnerable populations.