The first human trials of a new experimental Ebola vaccine are underway, targeting the Bundibugyo species of the virus. Developed by a team at the University of Oxford, the vaccine's rapid creation was enabled by decades of prior research into Ebola.
Professor Teresa Lamb, who led the Oxford vaccine team, stated that the phase one clinical study is designed to assess the vaccine's safety and determine if it elicits a strong, protective immune response. She emphasized that the vaccine cannot cause Ebola. "We will not be giving anybody Ebola in this trial or any trial," she confirmed.
This marks the first vaccine against the Bundibugyo species to enter human trials. While a licensed vaccine exists for the Zaire species of Ebola, it is not effective against Bundibugyo. To date, the Bundibugyo strain has caused more than 2,500 confirmed cases and over 1,000 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ed Hunt, a 37-year-old volunteer from the UK, participated in the trial after witnessing news reports of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received the experimental vaccine in Oxford.
Following the current phase one trial, the Oxford team plans to initiate a second, smaller Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda. This will be followed by a larger study in the Democratic Republic of Congo to assess the vaccine's efficacy.
In preparation for potential success in these trials, the Serum Institute in India has already manufactured 600,000 doses of the Oxford Ebola vaccine.