{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T18:09:12Z","timestamp":1789754952219,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004440","name":"Wellcome","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["212345"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["212345"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004440","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004440","name":"Wellcome","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["106680"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["106680"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004440","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Human challenge studies (HCS) have been proposed to accelerate the development of health interventions and strengthen research capacity in low- and middle-income countries. However, implementation in settings such as Vietnam, where clinical care facilities and research capacity are limited and no specific regulatory framework for HCS exists, raises special ethical, social, and practical concerns. This study examined healthcare professional students\u2019 perceptions of and attitudes toward HCS, focusing on ethical considerations and factors associated with willingness to participate.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A mixed-methods study was conducted as part of a longitudinal project, named SEED (2020\u20132024) among students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Quantitative data was collected using a structured survey administered after engagement activities on HCS (n\u2009=\u2009242). Qualitative data were obtained through focus group discussions (n\u2009=\u200954) and in-depth interviews (n\u2009=\u200914). Findings were integrated using an explanatory mixed-methods approach.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants reported moderate familiarity with HCS and expressed cautious support. Acceptability of HCS was lower than that of clinical trials or observational studies, reflecting concerns related to intentional infection. Motivations for participation included altruism, perceived social value, and potential national benefits, particularly for endemic diseases. Willingness to participate was positively associated with assurances of participant safety, access to rescue treatment, long-term compensation for research-related harm, transparent informed consent processes, and trust in research institutions and regulatory oversight. Concerns about potential health risks, psychological burden, time commitment, fairness of compensation, stigma, and family influence were significantly highlighted.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Medical and public health students in Vietnam expressed conditional support for HCS, while balancing perceived benefits against ethical and practical concerns. Establishing clear governance mechanisms, risk mitigation strategies, and appropriate compensation frameworks will be critical for ensuring the ethical conduct and acceptability of HCS in similar settings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0347941","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T17:31:18Z","timestamp":1789752678000},"page":"e0347941","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Balancing altruism, risk and ethics: Vietnamese students\u2019 views on human challenge studies"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0312-292X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Chi","family":"Le Phuong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chambrez Zita","family":"Zauchenberger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3787-9826","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Vy","family":"Pham-Tram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7664-7669","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hong","family":"Huynh Thuy Phuong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dong","family":"Thi Hoai Tam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5960-7849","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nguyen","family":"Minh Nguyet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Trung Dinh","family":"The","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thuy","family":"Nguyen Thi Van","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hang","family":"Nguyen Thi Thu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]},{"name":"Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, Georgetown University","place":["Washington, District of Columbia, United State of America"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thuan","family":"Hoang Van","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kien Vu","family":"Duy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hung","family":"Vu Bao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dung","family":"Do Van","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tuan","family":"Tran Diep","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bridget","family":"Wills","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health","place":["Oxford, United Kingdom"],"department":["Nuffield Department of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennifer Ilo","family":"Van Nuil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oxford University Clinical Research Unit","place":["Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"]},{"name":"Centre for Tropical 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