Ed Hunt, 37, is the world's first volunteer to receive an experimental Ebola vaccine developed at Oxford using the same platform as the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID jab. The candidate was produced in eight weeks and is the initial participant in a phase one safety trial enrolling 50 volunteers aged 18–55. Researchers will assess safety and whether the vaccine elicits strong immune responses against the Bundibugyo species, which is driving the current outbreak. Additional small trials are planned in Uganda, with a larger efficacy study expected in DR Congo.
UK Volunteer Becomes World's First To Receive New Oxford-Developed Ebola Vaccine
Ed Hunt receiving the Ebola vaccine in Oxford [BBC]
Ed Hunt, a 37-year-old resident of the UK, has become the world's first volunteer to receive an experimental vaccine designed to protect against the Ebola virus. The candidate was developed at the University of Oxford using the same viral-vector platform as the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and was produced in just eight weeks.
Who Volunteered
Hunt is the first of 50 healthy volunteers aged 18–55 who will take part in this phase one safety trial in Oxford. He told the BBC he was motivated to help after seeing news reports about the deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
About The Vaccine
The vaccine uses the same technology platform used in the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID vaccine. Oxford researchers say decades of prior research on this platform enabled the team to design and manufacture the Ebola candidate rapidly.
[BBC]
What The Trial Will Test
The phase one study is focused on safety and measuring immune responses that could be protective against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is responsible for the current outbreak.
"We will not be giving anybody Ebola in this trial or any trial. The aim of the phase one clinical study is to look for the safety of the vaccine, and also to see if we're getting a strong immune response that could be protective against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola," said Professor Teresa Lamb, who leads the Ebola vaccine team at Oxford.
Context And Next Steps
This Oxford candidate is the first of four vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo species to enter human trials. Although there is a licensed vaccine for the Zaire species of Ebola, it does not protect against Bundibugyo.
A second small trial is planned to begin soon in Uganda, and a larger efficacy study is expected in DR Congo if early results are promising. The Serum Institute of India has already manufactured 600,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine ready for potential deployment pending successful trial outcomes.
Current outbreak figures: DR Congo has reported more than 2,500 confirmed Ebola cases and just over 1,000 deaths to date.
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