The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced it’s helping fast-track three Ebola Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidates from the University of Oxford, Moderna, and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), as the world races to control the growing outbreak caused by the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
“With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease,” said Richard Hatchett, MD, CEO of CEPI, in apress release. “CEPI’s urgent funding and support aims to advance safe, effective vaccines to help control this epidemic.”
The Bundibugyo virus has no targeted vaccine or therapeutics, and this is the fourth outbreak caused by this strain since it was identified in Uganda in 2007.
Today, Moderna announced CEPI’s commitment of up to $50 million to support preclinical development and phase 1 clinical testing of the company’s Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate, which is being developed with mRNA technology.
“At Moderna, we believe our mRNA platform can play an important role in responding rapidly to emerging infectious disease threats,” said Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a press release. “We will move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most.”
CEPI has also committed initial funding of up to $3.2 million for preparations necessary to generate a Master Virus Seed stock for IAVI, using their rVSV vaccine platform, upon which the Zaire Ebola virus vaccine is based. A total of $8.6 million will help the University of Oxfordprepare for phase 1 trial of a vaccine based on its ChAdOx1 platform, which underpinned the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
True case count remains unknown
According to thelatest update from BNO News, there are 681 Ebola cases and 56 deaths, but the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders caution that no tally is accurate, with hundreds of suspected cases still awaiting testing and sampling. There are likely more than 1,000 suspected cases and more than 250 deaths.
The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak.
“To bring the situation under even partial control, there must be an immediate expansion of testing capacity,” said Alan Gonzalez, MD, deputy director of operations for Doctors without Borders, in astatement published over the weekend. “The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak.”
In other news, Kenya is moving forward with the construction of a makeshift quarantine unit on Laikipia Air Base in Kenya for up to 50 Americans exposed to Ebola, despite a judge late last week blocking continued activity.
Officials from the Kenyan federal government said the unit will help strengthen disease surveillance and response, but local citizens are protesting the construction, saying this exposes Kenyans to the virus and will collapse thenational healthcare infrastructure.
