14 September 2021
Ebola vaccine regimen generates strong immune response in children and adults in a clinical trial in Sierra Leone
Two new papers, published in The Lancet Infectious Disease, show that the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen is safe, well tolerated and produces a strong immune response in children and adults.
The EBOVAC-Salone study provides important further evidence for the potential of Johnson & Johnson’s two-dose Ebola vaccine regimen to be used as a protective measure against Ebola virus disease for both children and adults.
Conducted in Sierra Leone, the study is the first to assess the safety and tolerability of this vaccine regimen in a region affected by the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak. It is also the first study reporting the evaluation of this vaccine regimen in children.
The findings were widely reported including by Sky News, Belfast Telegraph, Evening Standard, BBC World Service – Newsday, and BBC World News – Focus on Africa.
22 June 2021
EBOVAC projects stakeholder meeting
With EBOVAC 1, 2 and 3 moving towards completion, it was an opportune moment to bring together Ebola stakeholders in order to celebrate, reflect and share EBOVAC accomplishments and lessons learnt. Stakeholders met to identify remaining research questions and discuss the most pressing needs for the implementation of preventive Ebola vaccination following the updated WHO SAGE recommendation.
On the 22nd of June, over 110 participants from many different countries, including consortia members (COMAHS, Inserm & Inserm Transfert, LSTHM, University of Antwerp, Janssen, CEPI, Centre Muraz, University of Oxford, University of Kinshasa) and representatives of IMI, joined this event chaired by Pr. Yves Levy (Inserm). A distinguished panel of experts moderated by Pr. Daniel Bausch (LSHTM) closed the meeting.
16 April 2019
Interim results of Phase 2B Ebovac-Salone study presented at ECCMID
Safety and immunogenicity data in adult participants in the EBOVAC-Salone study in Sierra Leone has been presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The data confirm the results of previous studies, demonstrating that the vaccine regimen is well-tolerated and produces durable humoral immune responses up to two years post-vaccination.
27 February 2019
Results of Phase 1 trials in Africa published
The results of EBOVAC1’s Phase 1 trials in Africa have been published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The trials in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania indicate that the vaccine regimen is well-tolerated and immunogenic in healthy adults in East Africa.
27 November 2018
EBOVAC 1 achievements presented at high-level conference on European Research and Innovation
EBOVAC1 was one of only 20 projects chosen to showcase the best of European research and innovation at a conference co-hosted by the European Parliament and the European Commission on 27 November 2018.
12 November 2018
Vaccine research offers fresh hope against Ebola
An article published in Euronews reports on the unprecedented research effort into finding a safe and effective vaccine against Ebola, sparked by the health crisis that struck West Africa between 2014 and 2016. The piece tells the story of Emma and families in Sierra Leone who were affected by the outbreak and highlights that vaccine research being carried out as part of the EBOVAC and Ebovac-Salone clinical trials are bringing fresh hope to those living in high risk zones.
13 August 2018
PREVAC researchers highlight Ebola vaccine progress and suggest next steps in viewpoint published in The Lancet
Against the backdrop of a second Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, PREVAC researchers have taken stock of advances in Ebola vaccine research in a Viewpoint article for The Lancet, and highlighted the importance of continuing clinical trials.
14 June 2018
PREVAC Ebola vaccine trial begins in Sierra Leone
The first participants have enrolled into a study in Sierra Leone which aims to answer some of the remaining questions regarding the safety and ability to generate an immune response of three of the most promising Ebola virus vaccine strategies.
In Sierra Leone, the study is a deliverable of the EBOVAC1 consortium, and is supported by partners from the EBODAC consortium.
14 March 2017
Vaccine regimen induced durable immune response one year after vaccination
Phase 1 clinical trial data published in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association show that the Ebola vaccine regimen induced a durable immune response in 100 percent of healthy volunteers one year following vaccination.
9 March 2017
Of vaccines, rumours, and the success of IMI’s EBODAC project
When IMI’s EBODAC project started in late 2014, Ebola had already killed over 8 000 people in just a few short months, most of them in the western African nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. With the outbreak continuing to devastate lives across the region, fear and anxiety were rife, and rumours spread rapidly through local communities. It was against this backdrop that EBODAC set out to develop a community engagement strategy to enable a clinical trial of a promising new Ebola vaccine candidate. Thanks to the many innovative methods employed, including radio and drama shows, today the project celebrates its first big success: all of the adults in the trial have been successfully vaccinated.
March 2017
EBOVAC 1 and EBODAC consortia publish annual report summaries
The EBOVAC1 and EBODAC consortia have published summaries of their 2016 annual reports to IMI.
26 February 2017
EBODAC consortium organises symposium on community engagement, communications and technology in Ebola clinical trials
On 20/21 February the EBODAC consortium hosted a symposium in Dakar, Senegal, to enable exchange of lessons learned in using community engagement, communication and technology while conducting clinical trials related to Ebola in an outbreak setting.
19 April 2016
Global public-private partnership announces publication of positive Phase 1 data for Ebola vaccine regimen in JAMA
A public-private partnership of some of the world’s leading health organizations today announced that data from a Phase 1 study of a preventive Ebola vaccine regimen have been published in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. The results, the first published on the vaccine regimen, suggest that the regimen was well-tolerated by healthy volunteers and immunogenic (produced an immune response). Among the findings, 100 percent of participants in the study achieved an initial antibody response to Ebola, and this response was sustained 8 months following immunization. The study was led by the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics and took place in the United Kingdom.
9 October 2015
Clinical trial for new Ebola vaccine starts in Kambia district, Sierra Leone
‘EBOVAC-Salone’, a clinical trial to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a new vaccine against Ebola, has started with the vaccination of the first volunteers. The first volunteers to be vaccinated come from Kambia Town, and more volunteers from Kambia District will be enrolled in the study in stages over the course of the next few months.
