CEPI Invests $4.17m to Study Ebola Vaccine Protection Against Bundibugyo Virus
Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has committed $4.17 million to
four research projects aimed at determining whether existing Ebola vaccines can provide immune protection against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the strain responsible for the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to a statement published on CEPI’s website, the studies will analyse stored blood samples from thousands of individuals previously vaccinated against Zaire ebolavirus, including recipients of the licensed Ervebo vaccine.
Researchers hope the findings will determine whether existing vaccines offer cross-protection against Bundibugyo virus while dedicated vaccine candidates remain under development.
The research comes as the DRC continues to battle what the World Health Organization (WHO) has described as the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
WHO’s latest outbreak update reported 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths across five provinces and 54 health zones, while the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in May.
CEPI Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Hatchett, said there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease.
He explained that although Bundibugyo-specific vaccine candidates are under development, they are unlikely to become available during the early stages of the current outbreak.
“Vaccines do exist for the related Zaire ebolavirus, including Ervebo. Given the recent announcement that Ervebo will be deployed for emergency use against Bundibugyo virus, these CEPI-supported studies will provide valuable evidence on how best to use existing vaccines,” Hatchett said.
CEPI noted that the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccine Prioritisation has recommended evaluating Ervebo alongside Bundibugyo-specific vaccine candidates in future Phase III clinical trials.
About the Author
