Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute announced in July 2024 that a clinical trial to test a vaccine against Marburg virus has been launched. The first-in-human trial of the ChAdOx1 Marburg vaccine, developed and manufactured by teams at the University of Oxford, will be led by the Oxford Vaccine Group. 46 people between the ages of 18 and 55 will participate. The research has been funded by the Department of Health and Social Care within the UK Vaccine Network, which seeks to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in low- and middle-income countries.
Marburg virus
WHO describes Marburg virus disease as a “highly virulent” disease that causes haemorrhagic fever; it has a fatality ratio of “up to 88%”. It belongs to the Filoviridae family, like Ebola, and is “clinically similar”. Human infection initially results from “prolonged” exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. It then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces or materials contaminated with these fluids.
ChAdOx1
ChAdOx1 is a virus vector vaccine based on a modified simian adenovirus. It was developed in 2012 by researchers at the University of Oxford. Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert describes it as a “true platform technology”, with Oxford researchers exploring applications such as tuberculosis, Dengue, and Zika virus. Advantages of the platform include ease of production and stability, as well as the effective induction of both B and T cell responses.
Professor Teresa Lambe OBE is the trial’s Lead Scientific Investigator and described the “real concern” that the “devastating disease has started to spread even further”. It has “potential to cause a pandemic and inflict suffering on many”, even though outbreaks have “historically been small”.
“With no approved treatments for Marburg, developing a vaccine is critical. This Oxford trial is a first step towards developing a safe and effective vaccine to protect people from future outbreaks.”
Professor Lambe is joining us at the Congress in Barcelona this October to discuss the development of flexible and sustainable vaccine technologies; get your tickets to learn more and don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletters here.
