Moderna on Tuesday said it has begun its first human trial of an experimental vaccine to protect against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a strain of Ebola that has killed more than 1,650 people so far and currently has no approved vaccine.
Health Canada has cleared an early-stage study and the first volunteers have already received the shot, called mRNA-1469, acording to the vaccine maker. The experimental shot uses the same mRNA technology behind Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The trial, which will run at three sites in Canada, aims to enroll about 80 healthy adults to check if the vaccine is safe and triggers an immune response.
The work is part of an expanded partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, which has pledged up to $50 million to help fund the vaccine’s early testing and manufacturing.
The Bundibugyo strain is driving an outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo that has become the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, with 3,748 confirmed cases and 1,657 confirmed deaths reported as of August 1, according, opens new tab to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The cases are increasing faster than during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which was the largest on record, said CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett.
The World Health Organization and Africa CDC have both declared the current outbreak a public health emergency.
If the vaccine is eventually approved, Moderna said it plans to make at least 500,000 doses available to low- and middle-income countries at access pricing under its agreement with CEPI.