Three Ebola vaccines in development amid growing outbreak fears
Summary
Three new vaccines are being developed to fight a rare type of Ebola virus called Bundibugyo, which is causing a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. These efforts aim to prevent the outbreak from becoming as large as the deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa from 2014 to 2016.Key Facts
- The current outbreak has caused nearly 250 deaths and over 1,000 suspected cases.
- The Bundibugyo species of Ebola is causing this outbreak; it has no approved vaccine yet.
- Three groups—International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), University of Oxford, and Moderna—are working on separate vaccines.
- IAVI is modifying an existing Ebola vaccine to target Bundibugyo and has shown promising results in monkeys.
- Moderna is using mRNA technology, similar to what was used for COVID-19 vaccines, to develop a Bundibugyo vaccine.
- Oxford is creating a vaccine with technology also used for COVID-19, expected to enter clinical trials in 2-3 months.
- Vaccines work by teaching the immune system to recognize a specific part of the virus called the Bundibugyo glycoprotein.
- The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is funding all three vaccine projects to speed up development.
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