Scientists at University of Oxford are working on developing a vaccine against a new strain of the Ebola virus, and it is hoped that the vaccine could enter the clinical trial phase within the next few months.
At present, the spread of the dangerous Ebola virus strain known as “Bundibugyo” is continuing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Seven deaths have officially been confirmed from the virus, while another 177 deaths are also being linked to the same strain.
The alarming aspect is that there is currently neither an approved vaccine nor an effective treatment available for this specific strain of Ebola.
On Friday, Oxford experts said they are urgently developing a vaccine that could be used immediately in the event of an uncontrolled spread of the virus.
The research team is working on a vaccine called ChAdOx1 BDBV, which is based on viral vector technology. The same advanced method has previously been used in the development of vaccines for several emerging outbreaks, particularly COVID-19 vaccines.
In viral vector vaccines, a harmless and modified virus is used as a delivery system to carry genetic instructions into human cells so the body can develop strong immunity against the disease.
