3 Ebola vaccines being developed amid outbreak in Africa
What's the story
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the University of Oxford, and pharmaceutical giant Moderna are all working on vaccines for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. The move comes as fears grow that this outbreak could be the worst in history. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is funding each group, stressing that "every day counts" in this race against time.
Outbreak
Current outbreak could be worst in history
The current Ebola outbreak has already claimed nearly 250 lives, with over 1,000 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and nine confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda. The situation is particularly alarming as it was first detected after spreading through a conflict zone with limited healthcare resources. This has raised fears that this could become as large as the West African outbreak from 2014-16, which infected nearly 29,000 people and killed over 11,000.
Vaccine development
IAVI, Oxford, Moderna working on different vaccines
Vaccines must be developed for each individual species of Ebola, and IAVI is working on a modified version of the Zaire Ebola vaccine to fight Bundibugyo. The experimental jab has been tested in monkeys where it provided nearly 100% protection. Moderna is using its mRNA technology, which was used to rapidly develop COVID-19 vaccines, to work on Bundibugyo. Meanwhile, the University of Oxford is also developing a new Ebola vaccine with its own technology.
Trial preparations
How do the vaccines work?
Each vaccine aims to train the body to spot the Bundibugyo glycoprotein on the virus' surface. However, they use different technologies for this purpose. IAVI uses a live but harmless virus that has been engineered to also have the Ebola glycoprotein. The mRNA vaccine and Oxford's vaccine deliver a snippet of genetic code into the body, which then orders construction of the Bundibugyo glycoprotein. This way, immune system gets a head start in fighting real Ebola infection.
Funding
CEPI funding early stages of research
CEPI is funding the early stages of research on these vaccines. "With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also stressed the importance of a Bundibugyo vaccine in controlling this epidemic and strengthening preparedness for future outbreaks.