Ira W. DeCamp Bioethics Seminar

Abstract:   In challenge trials, human volunteers are vaccinated with a promising vaccine against a disease (or given a placebo) and then deliberately infected with the disease.  It has been suggested that human challenge trials could speed up the testing of a vaccine, saving many lives.  Over 37,000 people have volunteered for such trials with 1DaySooner.org.  Yet so far, these volunteers have not been used in challenge trials.  

This seminar will be a panel discussion on whether there are serious objections to making use of the volunteers, or if it is the failure to use them that is ethically questionable.  Confirmed speakers include:

Dr. Cristina Cassetti, Deputy Director, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

Professor Richard Yetter Chappell, Department of Philosophy, University of Miami

Dr. Ben Bramble, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University

Lena Jewler, MHS, Research Assistant, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a volunteer for human challenge trials

Peter Singer will Chair

To register, click here.