Moderna starts human trials for Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine as Congo's outbreak continues

The first participants in Moderna’s clinical trial have been vaccinated against Bundibugyo Ebola virus as the company begins Phase 1 trials in Canada.

The vaccine is being developed using Moderna’s mRNA platform, the same underlying technology used in its COVID-19 vaccine, the company said in a press release.

The first phase of the trial will involve around 80 volunteers and will evaluate safety, tolerance and immune response for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease, for which there is currently no vaccine.

“Getting Moderna’s vaccine candidate into a Phase 1 trial this rapidly is a major step forward in the fight against this deadly outbreak,” said Richard Hatchett, chief executive officer at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

CEPI is a global public-private partnership that finances and accelerates the development of vaccines and biological countermeasures against emerging infectious diseases and potential pandemics.

In June, the coalition announced that it would invest in a portfolio of vaccine candidates under development, including those developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Moderna and the University of Oxford.

The University of Oxford launched its Phase 1 clinical trial in July in a race to tackle the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. The vaccines will be manufactured at the Serum Institute of India (SII)

“Every day matters and every vaccine candidate in clinical trials gives us another shot at getting a safe, effective vaccine to the people who need it as swiftly as possible,” added Hatchett.

Fastest-growing Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing its second-largest Ebola outbreak in history, with cases growing faster than on previous surges.

As of Tuesday, 3,802 cases had been recorded, with 1,707 deaths, the latest government update showed.

It is not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on Tuesday during his second visit to the town of Bunia, located near the epicentre of the outbreak in Ituri province.

Kaseya pointed out that some 60-70% of the new cases were recorded from spreading within a community, rather than from contact tracing – a method that traces those who have been in contact with a confirmed case.

“Contact tracing is not working,” said Kasey. “We don’t like the trajectory of this outbreak, and it’s already the second-largest outbreak (ever) in the world.”

The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but cases have also been confirmed in five other provinces, including in one of the country’s largest cities, Kisangani.