Researchers have announced that the first dose of an Ebola vaccine, which may protect against multiple strains of the virus, will be administered on Thursday. The vaccine is based on the same technology as the Oxford Covid jab.
Ebola haemorrhagic febrile illness is caused by Ebola virus. It has caused widespread devastation in certain parts of the globe. The outbreak that occurred in West Africa between 2014-16 could have caused more than 11,000 deaths. Meanwhile, the Ebola virus outbreak in DRC between August 2018 - June 2020 may have claimed more than 2,200 lives.
Experts warn that although highly effective vaccines have been developed against Ebola in the last few years, they have not been approved for any of the four Ebola species. This Zaire species is responsible for most outbreaks and has the highest death rate with an estimated 70% to 90%.
Dr Daniel Jenkin, the principal investigator of the trial at University of Oxford's Jenner Institute, stated that there are three more important Ebola viruses.
The Sudan Ebola virus is believed to have a death rate of around 50%. Jenkin also noted that it has been responsible for the second most outbreaks.
Researchers at Oxford now say that they will begin human trials of a new Ebola vaccine. It is designed to protect against the Zaire as well as the Sudan Ebola viruses.
Jenkin stated that the vaccine targets two species that have been responsible for almost all deaths and outbreaks.
The Ebola vaccine, like the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid jab is based upon a virus that causes common colds in chimpanzees but has been modified to not cause illness in humans. Instead of inserting spike protein genes of the coronavirus in the genetic material, the team has loaded the chimp viruses with genes for the main protein of the Ebola virus.
Jenkin stated that there are two copies of the document: one from the Zaire Ebola virus type and one from the Sudan Ebolavirus species.
Jenkin stated that while there are many vaccines available to protect against Ebola virus from different species, the new jab uses the same technology as the Oxford/AstraZeneca/Covid vaccine. He said that this could have practical benefits.
He said that the Covid jab is being produced at 20 manufacturing sites across the globe, including middle-income countries. It is also very important to have proof of concept that similar vaccines can be produced on a large scale.
The team is giving the first Ebola vaccine jab on Thursday. However, they need 26 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 to participate in the phase 1 clinical trial. Anyone interested can sign up online.
Participants will receive one dose of vaccine, and then be followed up for six months to see if they have any adverse reactions.
David Matthews, a professor of virology at Bristol, was not involved with the development of the Ebola jab but was involved in studying the mechanisms through which the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccination works. He said that using the same technology was logical.
He said, "You have a large safety profile database and [a] well-understood production process."
