The trial will evaluate the safety and immune response of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine in 50 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55.
The candidate uses the same viral vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, credited with saving over six million lives in its first year.
To support the rapid launch of the study and progression of the vaccine candidate into clinical evaluation, Serum Institute of India (SII) has manufactured and stockpiled approximately 620,000 doses of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine candidate in two weeks for potential future use and has supplied 4,000 investigational doses for this Phase I trial, the company said in a statement.
“The ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak continues to devastate affected communities,” said Professor Teresa Lambe OBE, lead investigator. “Our team has worked tirelessly with global partners to develop this candidate, demonstrating how collaborative partnerships enable rapid response.”
The Bundibugyo outbreak is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record, with cases continuing to climb.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has committed $8.6 million to advance vaccine development.“The programme builds on CEPI’s strategic partnership with the University of Oxford and SII’s participation in CEPI’s Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network”.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII, said, “During outbreaks, speed, preparedness and global collaboration are essential to advancing vaccine candidates quickly and responsibly. We are proud to contribute to this effort alongside CEPI, the University of Oxford and other partners”.
‘If Phase 1 trials are successful, CEPI anticipates working with the University of Oxford and SII to support late-stage trials to generate data for emergency use authorisation or licensure.