Moderna has begun the first human trial of an experimental vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccine. ALSO READ: WHO trials new Ebola treatments in DR Congo The biotechnology company said on Tuesday, August 4, that the first volunteers in Canada had received the vaccine, known as mRNA-1469, after the government authorised an early-stage clinical trial. The vaccine uses the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. ALSO READ: Rwanda ramps up Ebola prevention efforts The trial will be conducted at three sites across Canada and is expected to enroll about 80 healthy adults. Researchers will assess the vaccine’s safety and whether it can trigger an immune response against the virus. The vaccine is being developed in partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which has committed up to $50 million to support early-stage testing and manufacturing. Under the agreement with CEPI, if the vaccine is approved, Moderna will make at least 500,000 doses available to low- and middle-income countries at affordable prices. The development comes as DR Congo continues to respond to an outbreak of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), DR Congo’s Bundibugyo strain outbreak had recorded 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths as of July 30. Uganda declared itself Ebola-free on Tuesday, July 28, after ending an outbreak that infected 20 people and killed two. The declaration followed 42 days without a new case after the last patient was discharged on June 16. Alongside vaccine research, efforts are underway to find treatments for the disease. On July 2, WHO launched a clinical trial in DR Congo to test two experimental treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease. The trial, known as the Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus TreatmentS (PARTNERS), is enrolling people with confirmed infections.
