The University of Oxford has launched the first human trial of a vaccine candidate against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, as efforts intensify to contain the ongoing outbreak.

The Phase I study, designated BD-Ebov, will assess the safety and immune response of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 in Oxford. Recruitment is underway, with vaccinations expected to begin following regulatory approval.

The vaccine was developed by the University's Oxford Vaccine Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute, using the same ChAdOx1 viral vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

To support the trial, the Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactured and stockpiled approximately 620,000 doses of the vaccine candidate within two weeks and supplied 4,000 investigational doses for the Phase I study.

The programme is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) through an $8.6 million grant to Oxford and SII. Additional clinical studies are also being prepared in Uganda, subject to regulatory approval.

Professor Teresa Lambe, the study's lead scientific investigator, said the trial reflects the urgency of responding to the Bundibugyo outbreak, noting that the vaccine reached human testing just 57 days after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

If the vaccine is proven safe and produces a strong immune response, CEPI plans to support larger late-stage trials to gather data for emergency use authorization or full licensure.

Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya welcomed the milestone, saying that while early-stage trials will not immediately help communities affected by the outbreak, they are essential to developing vaccines for the current epidemic and future outbreaks.