Scientists to begin evaluating human infection studies in India

Scientists say human infection studies could also make the drug or vaccine discovery process efficient by predicting failure faster

Some medical scientists in India are actively discussing whether the country should begin human infe­ction studies, in which weak, disease-causing microorganisms or pathogens are deliberately intro­duced in healthy people to study how those pathogens transmit dise­ases, how the diseases progress, how people’s bodies respond to the dise­ases, and how effective certain treatments are against those dise­ases. India currently does not have regulations to carry out such studies.

Scientists met lawyers, sociologists, anthropologists, ethicists and journalists in a big consultation in Mumbai last year to discuss issues around human infection studies in India. While some scientists agree that such studies will