In the Ugandan city of Masaka, more than 100 volunteers will take part in trials of an experimental vaccine against Bundibugyo—a rare strain of the Ebola virus currently causing outbreaks in several African countries.

The vaccine is being developed by a group of vaccinologists at the University of Oxford—the same team that previously helped create the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. In addition to the Oxford group, Moderna and the non-profit biotechnology organization IAVI are also working on vaccines against this strain of Ebola.

Phase I trials, aimed primarily at assessing the drug's safety, are being conducted in collaboration with the UK Medical Research Council’s unit based at the Uganda Virus Research Institute. The UK has allocated 29 million pounds sterling to combat the Ebola outbreak, and a portion of these funds will go toward financing the study.

According to The Telegraph, 20 cases have been recorded in Uganda to date, whereas around 1700 cases have been identified in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past two months—an outbreak already described as the fastest-growing in history. Due to its long and poorly controlled border with the DRC, Uganda remains at risk.

Masaka was chosen as a trial site for a reason: the local branch of the British Medical Research Council has been operating in the city for over 40 years and has previously participated in research on vaccines against HIV, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other strains of Ebola.

Volunteers will be divided into three groups: some will receive a single dose of the vaccine, others will receive two doses spaced several weeks apart, and a third group will consist of individuals previously vaccinated against the Zaire strain of Ebola, allowing scientists to assess potential cross-reactivity between the vaccines. A similar trial will be conducted concurrently in Oxford.

According to the organizers, if the results are positive, a larger-scale Phase 3 trial involving people at direct risk of infection could begin as early as October.

The vaccine is being developed using the ChAdOx platform—the same one used for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the use of which had previously been linked to rare cases of blood clots.