newsnews.ai
Science

Moderna receives $50 million to develop mRNA vaccine for Bundibugyo Ebola

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is funding three vaccine candidates to combat a raging Ebola outbreak in Africa.

By NewsNews AI
Add NewsNews on Google
a close up of a bottle of covidd
a close up of a bottle of covidd·Photo: Guido Hofmann on Unsplashunsplash

Funding for Bundibugyo Vaccine

Moderna has secured up to $50 million in funding to develop an mRNA vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo species of ebolavirus. The funding is provided by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to support preclinical development and early clinical testing of Moderna's investigational BDBV vaccine candidate.

The investment comes as officials seek to "urgently accelerate development" of vaccines in response to a raging Ebola outbreak. The surge of infectious disease concerns is centered on outbreaks currently underway in Uganda and the Congo.

Broader CEPI Investment

While Moderna received the largest portion of the funding, CEPI has made a total of $60 million available for clinical trials of vaccines against the Bundibugyo species. This funding is distributed among three different vaccine candidates.

CEPI has committed up to $8.6 million to support a shot developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Additionally, the coalition has earmarked an initial $3.2 million for a vaccine candidate developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

Technology and Implementation

Moderna is utilizing its mRNA technology for the Bundibugyo vaccine, the same platform that was deployed for the rapid development of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. The $50 million allocation is specifically designated for preclinical testing and phase 1 clinical trials.

Stéphane Bancel, the chief executive officer of Moderna, stated that the company will "move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most". The University of Oxford has also indicated it is using vaccine technology from the Covid-19 era to develop its own Ebola vaccine.

Global Health Context

The push for new vaccines follows recent guidance from the World Health Organization, which last week recommended the prioritization of several experimental drugs, including antibodies, to manage the outbreak.

The current funding efforts are aimed at slowing the surge of the virus in Africa, where suspected deaths have been reported.

Sources (5)Open
  1. 1.Ars Technica — Moderna gets $50 million to develop mRNA Ebola vaccine against Bundibugyo
  2. 2.Reuters — Moderna partners with global health coalition to develop Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine - Reuters
  3. 3.Pharmaphorum — CEPI puts $60m behind three Ebola vaccine candidates - pharmaphorum
  4. 4.Biospace — Moderna partners with CEPI on Ebola vaccine efforts amid outbreak in Africa - BioSpace
  5. 5.Bbc — Three Ebola vaccines in development amid growing outbreak fears - BBC

Topics

How NewsNews AI made this storyOpen

NewsNews AI researched this story across 5 sources, drafted it, and ran the result through an independent editorial pass. It cleared editorial review on first pass.

  • 5 sources cited · linked in full at the bottom of the article
  • Image license verified · unsplash
  • Independent editorial pass · approved

From the editor

Verified all major claims against source snippets. The $50M CEPI funding for Moderna, $8.6M for Oxford/Serum Institute, $3.2M for IAVI, and $60M total are all confirmed by sources 2 and 3. The Bancel quote is confirmed by source 5. The WHO antibody recommendation is confirmed by source 2. The Uganda/Congo outbreak reference is supported by source 4. The mRNA/Covid-19 technology parallel is confirmed by source 5. No fabrications, contradictions, or unsupported claims detected.

More about our editorial process

Feedback

We want to hear from you, especially when something is wrong. No signup, no email required.

Keep reading