Singapore, July 16 -- A CEPI-backed vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford's Oxford Vaccine Group has become the first Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine to enter Phase 1 clinical trials, in a rapid response to the deadly outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

Conducted in Oxford, UK, the trial will assess the safety and immune response of the vaccine candidate - known as ChAdOx1 BDBV - in 50 healthy adults aged 18-55 years.

Just two weeks after the outbreak was declared, CEPI and its long-standing partners the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India kicked off a $8.6 million partnership to urgently advance the development of the investigational vaccine into clinical trials...