Oxford launches first human trial of Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

The University of Oxford has begun the world's first Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, marking a milestone in the global response to an outbreak that has killed more than 600 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since May.

The trial, announced on Monday, will evaluate the safety and immune response of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 at Oxford's clinical vaccinology centre. The vaccine was developed in approximately eight weeks using the same chimpanzee adenovirus platform that Oxford scientists adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.bbc+3

A Race Against a Growing Epidemic

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 17, 2026, after cases emerged in the northeastern Ituri Province. The WHO simultaneously declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of July 9, the DRC had reported 1,792 confirmed cases and 625 deaths, with the virus spreading to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, as well as to Uganda, where 20 confirmed cases and two deaths have been recorded. Imported cases have also appeared in Germany and France.afro.who+1

Unlike the better-known Zaire strain responsible for the 2014 West Africa epidemic, no licensed vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo virus. The fatality rate for Bundibugyo virus disease is estimated between 25 and 40 percent.doctorswithoutborders+1

Manufacturing and Deployment

The Serum Institute of India BSE India partnered with Oxford and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to manufacture the vaccine at scale, backed by $8.6 million in CEPI funding. Sky News reported that some 620,000 doses of ChAdOx1 BDBV have already been stockpiled for potential deployment, with 4,000 investigational doses produced.youtube+2

A WHO expert panel in May identified the Oxford/Serum Institute vaccine as a leading candidate that could reach clinical trials within two to three months — a timeline the trial's launch has now met. The panel noted a single-dose approach could suit contacts of Ebola cases, while a two-dose regimen might serve healthcare workers and frontline responders.who

Parallel Efforts

The Oxford vaccine is the first of four candidate vaccines to enter clinical trials. Another leading candidate, a single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, is estimated to require seven to nine months before trial readiness. Meanwhile, a separate therapeutic trial called PARTNERS opened enrollment in the DRC on July 2 to test whether the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir can improve survival among patients already infected.who+2

Initial safety and immunogenicity results from the Oxford trial could be available as soon as September.facebook