Moderna on Tuesday announced it has launched the first human trial of an experimental vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine currently exists.
The vaccine, known as mRNA-1469, has been cleared by Health Canada for an early-stage clinical trial, with the first volunteers already receiving the shot. It uses the same mRNA technology employed in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The trial will be conducted at three sites in Canada and aims to enroll about 80 healthy adults to evaluate the vaccine’s safety and its ability to generate an immune response.
The programme is part of an expanded partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which has committed up to US$50 million to support the vaccine’s early development and manufacturing.
The Bundibugyo ebolavirus is responsible for the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where, as of August 1, authorities have reported 3,748 confirmed cases and 1,657 deaths.
CEPI Chief Executive Richard Hatchett said the outbreak is expanding more rapidly than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the largest Ebola outbreak on record.
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have declared the current outbreak a public health emergency.
If the vaccine is approved, Moderna said it plans to make at least 500,000 doses available to low- and middle-income countries at affordable access pricing under its agreement with CEPI.