Oxford University launches first human trial of Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

Oxford University Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine phase I trial DRC outbreak Serum Institute of India

The University of Oxford has begun a phase‑I clinical trial (BD‑Ebov) of its ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of ebolavirus. The study will enroll 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 in Oxford, UK, and will monitor safety and immune response for one year.

The vaccine uses the same chimpanzee‑adenovirus vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID‑19 shot. The Serum Institute of India produced about 620,000 doses of the candidate and supplied 4,000 investigational doses for the trial. The World Health Organization, which declared a public‑health emergency in May, has prioritized this vaccine for evaluation alongside another candidate, rVSV‑Bundibugyo. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is providing up to $8.6 million to support development.

The trial is a response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, which has recorded roughly 1,800 laboratory‑confirmed cases and more than 600 deaths. Preparations are under way for additional studies in Uganda, pending regulatory approval, to expand vaccine access in the affected regions.