EBOVAC3

Bringing a prophylactic Ebola vaccine to licensure

Summary

The EBOVAC3 project aims to assess, through clinical trials in children and adults in Africa, the safety and effectiveness of an Ebola vaccine regimen. As such it will help to improve the world’s preparedness to deal with an Ebola outbreak. The project focuses on the ‘prime-boost’ Ebola vaccine regimen (Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo) prime-boost’ Ebola vaccine regimen, in which patients are first given a dose to prime the immune system, and then a boost dose which is intended to enhance the immune response over time. Building on work carried out under the EBOVAC1 and 2 projects, EBOVAC3 will run clinical trials in children in Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It will also follow up people who participated in earlier clinical trials in Sierra Leone, to assess the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in the longer term. Finally, the project aims to characterise the outbreak preparedness of Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

EBOVAC3 is part of the IMI Ebola+ programme, which was launched in response to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak that started in western Africa in 2014. The comprehensive programme contributes to efforts to tackle a wide range of challenges in Ebola research, including vaccines development, clinical trials, and transport, as well as diagnostics. The programme complements work being carried out with the support of other funding bodies.

About Ebola and related diseases

Ebola virus disease (EVD), previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains. The virus spreads in the human population through direct human-to-human contact with the bodily fluids of infected patients who are showing symptoms. It has an incubation period of 2-21 days, and it usually begins with flu-like symptoms, but rapidly progresses to multiple organ failure and blood-clotting abnormalities which manifest as internal and external haemorrhages (bleeding). It is fatal in between 25% and 90% of cases. There is currently no licensed treatment against EVD, and the development of treatments and preventive measures such as vaccines is hampered by challenges including manufacturing-related hurdles, the stability of vaccines during transport and storage, vaccine deployment, and the time taken to diagnose cases of EVD.

The 2014-16 Ebola epidemic was unprecedented in its scale and geographical distribution. World Health Organization (WHO) statistics recorded over 28 000 cases and 11 000 deaths from the disease, most of them in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The epidemic highlighted the need for research into better vaccines, diagnostics and treatments to stop future epidemics in their tracks.

Participants

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EFPIA companies
  • Janssen Vaccines & Prevention BV, Leiden, Netherlands
Universities, research organisations, public bodies, non-profit groups
  • Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale, Paris, France
  • London School Of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine Royal Charter, London, United Kingdom
  • Universite De Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic of)
  • Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium
  • University Of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Associated partners
  • Coalition For Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway
Third parties
  • Chu Hopitaux De Bordeaux, Talence, France
  • Universite De Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
  • Universite Paris Cite, Paris, France

Participants
NameEU funding in €
Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale3 094 687
London School Of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine Royal Charter12 162 504
Universite De Kinshasa3 293 131
Universiteit Antwerpen5 532 935
University Of Sierra Leone4 898 982
 
Third parties
NameFunding in €
Chu Hopitaux De Bordeaux217 886
Universite De Bordeaux200 030
Universite Paris Cite2 500
 
Total Cost29 402 655