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Volunteers are needed for an experiment that will see people deliberately infected with strains of coronavirus.

The human guinea pigs will be paid £3,500 each and will be isolated in a lab in East London.

Hvivo, the company which owns the laboratory at Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre at Whitechapel in east London, will infect batches of 24 volunteers with the 0C43 and 229E strains of the virus.

Those strains are less serious than the current Covid-19 which has infected more than 100,000 people across the globe and has killed more than 3,200 people.

But while the viruses involved are more minor a vaccine that works against them could also help combat Covid-19.

Volunteers will be held in isolation for two weeks with no human contact and a restricted diet, reports The Star .

Medics will wear protective clothing and ventilators while working in the lab.

Hvivo's plans will have to be agreed by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before testing can begin.

The experiment is part of a $2bn (£1.53bn) worldwide race to find a vaccine for the deadly virus, particularly for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said there were over 20 vaccines for Covid-19 in development.

Cathal Friel, executive chairman of Hvivo’s parent company, Open Orphan, said it placed the company at the “forefront of the fight against the outbreak”.

Despite the demand for the vaccine in the UK, it is unlikely to have the capability to manufacture the vaccine in necessary droves to produce it on its own. Imports of the vaccine are likely to come from overseas.

Those interested in joining the global fight can find out more on Hvivo’s website, aptly called FluCamp.com .