A new Ebola vaccine developed in record time by scientists at the University of Oxford has been cleared for human trials by UK regulators, marking the first of four vaccine candidates to reach this stage since the outbreak began.
Researchers began work on the vaccine within days of a public health emergency being declared on May 17, and volunteers in the UK are now being recruited ahead of the first doses being administered within weeks.
The outbreak, centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has killed 625 people out of nearly 1,800 confirmed cases. It is being driven by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, one of six known strains, each requiring its own vaccine and treatment. No approved vaccine currently exists for this particular strain, and the outbreak remains uncontained in a region complicated by conflict and highly mobile populations.
Oxford’s chief trial investigator, Dr Katrina Pollock, said her team routinely runs early-stage trials of new vaccines precisely so they can respond quickly when an outbreak like this occurs.
The speed of development rests on the same viral-vector platform used in the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which uses a harmless, genetically modified chimpanzee cold virus to deliver a small genetic snippet, in this case from the Bundibugyo strain, that trains the immune system to recognise the real virus without causing infection.
The trial will involve 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55, monitored for a year, with Oxford also coordinating with partners in Uganda to prepare for trials in Africa. The candidate has already been tested in mice and primates, and the Serum Institute of India has manufactured roughly 620,000 doses to clinical standard.
Researchers stressed that no safety steps have been skipped despite the pace, and that any risks, including the rare blood-clotting side effects associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, would be fully disclosed to volunteers. Three rival Ebola vaccine candidates, including one from Moderna using mRNA technology, are also in development.
Source: bbc.co.uk