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UK researchers are rushing to develop a new Ebola vaccine based on the exact same viral vector platform used in the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab.
The effort comes as a new outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) announced it is urgently producing its candidate vaccine, ChAdOx1 BDBV, which could enter human clinical trials in as little as two to three months if animal testing succeeds.
The Bundibugyo Ebolavirus is one of the less common but still highly lethal strains of Ebola.
Unlike the more frequently seen Zaire strain, there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific treatments approved for Bundibugyo virus disease.
The WHO and local authorities have described the situation as “spreading rapidly,” with contact tracing and quarantine efforts underway. However, the risk to the UK and broader Europe remains low, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The candidate vaccine is a monovalent (single-strain) ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo Ebolavirus.
It uses the ChAdOx1 viral vector platform, the same chimpanzee adenovirus-based technology used for the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
This platform was chosen because it is “highly adjustable” and can be quickly modified to target different pathogens.
In the statement, the OVG emphasized they are “working urgently” while adhering to “established scientific, ethical, and regulatory standards.”
The statement read in part:
The research team embedded in these trials have continued developing vaccines against multiple filoviruses, including Sudan Ebolavirus and Marburg virus. During outbreaks in Uganda, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania between 2022 and 2025, vaccines designed and tested by Professor Teresa Lambe and her team based in OVG and the Pandemic Sciences Institute were selected by the World Health Organization for inclusion in ring vaccination trials, should they have been needed.
The ChAdOx platform, a type of viral-vector vaccine, has previously demonstrated a vital role in the development of vaccines for emerging infectious diseases and responding to outbreak scenarios. This platform underpinned the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which was estimated to have saved more than 6 million lives in its first year of use globally.
This long-standing work and existing expertise are critical in enabling a rapid response during public health emergencies.
Professor Teresa Lambe, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said, “My hope is that this outbreak can be brought under control quickly and that vaccines are ultimately not needed. Nevertheless, our team and partners will continue working to ensure that potential vaccine options are available if they are needed.”
“The ability to move rapidly in situations like this has been built on many years of vaccine research and close collaboration with our global partners,” Lambe added.
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