Weekly Rundown: Oxford scientists develop rapid Ebola vaccine as Congo outbreak grows FDA approvals, pharma deals, and genetic testing advancements led the news this week. Written byDDN editorial team

Weekly Rundown: Oxford scientists develop rapid Ebola vaccine as Congo outbreak grows FDA approvals, pharma deals, and genetic testing advancements led the news this week. Written byDDN editorial team https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/weekly-rundown-oxford-scientists-develop-rapid-ebola-vaccine-as-congo-outbreak-grows-17195?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9CaSYgo64yBacJHTMjO0uKmroqOegAhmVtlluB9iWyyDXKDHmEvlq9T9XJICNraOUq19CuKzvGGM2JLTybPa_2yKsXAg&_hsmi=421171733&utm_content=421171733&utm_source=hs_email Scientists at the University of Oxford are developing an experimental Ebola vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months, as health authorities race to contain an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has caused around 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths. The outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has been classified by the World Health Organization as a “very high” risk nationally, with a declared public health emergency of international concern. The Oxford team’s candidate uses the ChAdOx1 viral vector platform, previously deployed in the COVID-19 vaccine developed with AstraZeneca, to deliver genetic material from the Bundibugyo virus via a modified chimpanzee cold virus that cannot cause disease but trains the immune system to recognize the pathogen. While animal studies are now under way and production plans are being prepared with the Serum Institute of India, researchers stress that the vaccine’s effectiveness remains unproven and depends on preclinical and early clinical results. – Bree Foster