Oxford University Develops Ebola Vaccine for Bundibugyo Strain

Scientists at Oxford University are developing a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, with plans to begin human trials within weeks. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda last Sunday and labeled it a public health emergency of international concern.

It is reported to kill about one third of those infected. Animal testing of the candidate vaccine is underway at Oxford facilities.

The vaccine uses the ChAdOx1 platform, the same technology Oxford researchers adapted for a COVID-19 vaccine. In the Ebola version, the platform carries genetic material from the Bundibugyo strain instead of the coronavirus. A chimpanzee cold virus is genetically modified to deliver the Ebola instructions into human cells, prompting an immune response.

The Serum Institute of India has agreed to manufacture the vaccine at scale once Oxford supplies medical-grade material.

She added that contact tracing and quarantine may suffice but preparation for broader use continues. The World Health Organization stated that no animal data yet confirm effectiveness and that progression to clinical trials depends on those results.

A separate experimental Bundibugyo vaccine under development elsewhere would require six to nine months before testing doses are ready. Britain announced it will provide up to £20 million to support health workers, infection control, and surveillance in the affected countries.

The WHO raised its risk assessment for the Democratic Republic of the Congo from "high" to "very high," while regional risk is now considered high and international risk remains low.