Oxford to Trial New Ebola Vaccine

The University of Oxford is set to begin clinical trials of a new Ebola vaccine as the virus continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Researchers rapidly developed the vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and will now assess its safety and immune response in 50 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55 in the UK.

To accelerate the program, around 620,000 doses of the experimental ChAdOx1 biEBOV vaccine have been stockpiled for potential future use, while about 4,000 doses have been allocated for the Oxford trial. Researchers are also working with partners in Uganda to prepare clinical studies in Africa.

Volunteers will be monitored for one year, although scientists expect early results on whether the vaccine can provide rapid protection.

The vaccine uses the same platform technology as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, allowing it to be developed within weeks in response to emerging outbreaks.