Clinical researchers in London will begin the human trials of a new coronavirus vaccine that is being developed by researchers at Imperial College London. 
It will be the first test of a new self-amplifying RNA technology, which has the potential to revolutionise vaccine development and enable scientists to respond more quickly to emerging diseases.
The study will begin this week and it is the first time the vaccine will be trialled on humans. It will test whether the vaccine is well-tolerated and produces an effective immune response against COVID-19. 
If the vaccine is safe and shows a promising immune response in humans, then larger Phase III trials would be planned to begin later in the year with around 6,000 healthy volunteers to test its effectiveness
“In the long-term, a viable vaccine could be vital for protecting the most vulnerable, enabling restrictions to be eased and helping people to get back to normal life,” said Prof Robin Shattock, Principal Investigator, COVID-19 vaccine trial.
According to Imperial, its vaccine candidate is being developed and trialled with the support of £41 million (Rs 394 crore) in funding from the UK government and a further £5 million ( Rs 48 crore)  in philanthropic donations. 
Imperial says that the vaccine has undergone rigorous pre-clinical safety tests and in animal studies it has been shown to be safe and produced encouraging signs of an effective immune response.
Ultimately, the researchers hope that if clinical trials are successful, the vaccine could provide protection against COVID-19 both in the UK and around the world. 
Once injected into muscle, the RNA self amplifies – generating copies of itself – and instructs the body’s own cells to make copies of a spiky protein found on the outside of the virus. This should train the immune system to respond to the coronavirus so the body can easily recognise it and defend itself against COVID-19 in future.
Imperial says that the college has formed a new social enterprise VacEquity Global Health (VGH), in partnership with Morningside Ventures, to develop its COVID-19 vaccine. The mission of VGH is to rapidly develop vaccines to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and distribute them as widely as possible in the UK and overseas, including to low- and middle-income countries.
The Imperial vaccine trial is progressing with approval from the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

At least 300 healthy participants will receive two doses of the vaccine, based on self-amplifying DNA technology, in the next few weeks.