OXFORD UNIVERSITY EBOLA VACCINE ENTERS HUMAN TRIALS

The University of Oxford has received regulatory approval to begin human trials of a new Ebola vaccine, marking the first of four vaccines under development to reach this stage. Scientists at the institution began developing the vaccine eight weeks ago following a public health emergency declaration on 17 May. The UK regulator authorised the trials to proceed, and recruitment of volunteers has commenced. The first doses are expected to be administered to healthy adults in the UK within weeks.

The current Ebola outbreak is centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has resulted in 625 deaths among 1,792 laboratory-confirmed cases, according to official figures. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has triggered two previous outbreaks. The six known Ebola species require separate treatments and vaccines, meaning no approved drugs or vaccines currently exist for this variant. The outbreak remains uncontrolled and is occurring in a conflict zone with highly mobile populations, creating urgency for vaccine development.

The trial will involve 50 healthy adults aged 18–55, with volunteers monitored for one year to assess immune response and any unexpected side effects. Dr Katrina Pollock, chief investigator at the University of Oxford, stated that the institution conducts phase one trials regularly to prepare for such outbreaks. Researchers are collaborating with partners in Uganda to prepare for subsequent trials in Africa. The Oxford team developed the vaccine rapidly using technology employed in the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, which uses a genetically modified chimpanzee cold virus as a delivery mechanism for genetic code from the Bundibugyo species.