The first volunteer has been vaccinated in the world’s first Ebola vaccine trial

The University of Oxford has announced that the first volunteer has been vaccinated in the world’s first clinical trial of a vaccine targeting Bundibugyo ebolavirus, marking the first human use of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine.

The vaccine was developed by Oxford’s Oxford Vaccine Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute. Researchers said it advanced from concept to clinical testing in just eight weeks through collaboration with the university’s Clinical BioManufacturing Facility, the Serum Institute of India and other partners.

The trial will continue recruiting and vaccinating volunteers while researchers assess the vaccine’s safety and immune response. The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo ebolavirus.