A new Ebola vaccine is now set to be tested on humans, coming eight weeks after scientists at the University of Oxford began developing it.
The first of four vaccines under development has reached the clinical trial phase. A group of 50 healthy adult volunteers aged between 18 and 55 is being recruited. It is planned that adult residents of the UK without chronic illnesses will receive the first doses of the vaccine in the coming weeks.
“Every step that brings a safe and effective vaccine closer helps strengthen our ability to protect vulnerable communities, save lives and bring this outbreak under control,” said Nicole Lurie from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed 625 lives, with the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases reaching 1,792. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, already familiar to scientists from two previous outbreaks. It has struck the Congo and Uganda and is one of the largest in recorded history, with the number of infected people continuing to rise.
Even though the first vaccine has been developed, scientists point out that the six types of Ebola virus are similar but not the same – “sisters rather than twins” – so older vaccines will not work here. Attempts to contain the epidemic have so far failed, as the virus continues to spread in a conflict zone amongst a population on the move. In such circumstances, only urgent vaccination can halt the disaster.
“We’re conducting phase one trials of new vaccines all the time, precisely to be ready for exactly this kind of outbreak,” according to Dr Katrina Pollock, the chief investigator of the trial based at the University of Oxford.
Meanwhile, the next phase of clinical trials is set to begin in Uganda, where local regulators have already approved the research. Experts from the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Uganda Research Unit will carry out the research jointly.
