Moderna and Other Vaccine Developers Awarded $60M for Ebola Vaccine Innovation

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has committed more than US$60 million to Moderna and other vaccine groups to speed the development of investigational vaccines against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, as health authorities respond to an outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

The largest part of the package is up to US$50 million for Moderna’s vaccine candidate. The funding will support preclinical work, Phase 1 clinical testing and manufacturing activities that could allow the program to move into larger trials if early safety and immune response data are positive.

CEPI also committed up to US$8.6 million for a candidate being developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. A further US$3.2 million will support early work by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, known as IAVI, on a separate candidate using a viral-vector technology linked to earlier Ebola vaccine development.

Bundibugyo ebolavirus causes a severe form of Ebola disease. Unlike the Zaire strain of Ebola, for which approved vaccines exist, there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease. This gap has increased pressure on governments, research groups and funders to move vaccine programs forward during the current emergency.

WHO said on May 29 that the outbreak was evolving quickly, with rising case numbers, geographic spread and cross-border transmission. It reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of May 27, along with confirmed cases in both Congo and Uganda.

“At Moderna, we believe our mRNA platform can play an important role in responding rapidly to emerging infectious disease threats,” Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said in the company’s announcement.

The Moderna candidate is based on the company’s mRNA platform. The Oxford and Serum Institute candidate is based on the ChAdOx1 viral-vector platform, while IAVI’s candidate uses an rVSV platform similar to the technology used in a WHO-prequalified vaccine for Zaire ebolavirus.

CEPI said the three candidates were selected after a review of Bundibugyo vaccine programs and consultation with WHO, Africa CDC, Gavi, ANRS-MIE and affected countries. The use of different technologies is intended to improve the chance that at least one program can generate useful clinical data.

The funding is important for the vaccine industry because it shows continued demand for rapid-response platforms beyond COVID-19. It also provides financial support for early manufacturing, which can reduce delays if trial results support wider testing or emergency use.

For governments and healthcare systems, the program could help close a major preparedness gap. Ebola outbreaks place heavy pressure on hospitals, health workers, laboratories, surveillance teams and community health systems. A vaccine that works against Bundibugyo virus could improve future outbreak control, especially in areas where contact tracing and isolation are difficult.

Gavi has separately announced up to US$50 million through its First Response Fund to support vaccine access and outbreak response. That includes up to US$40 million to help prepare for accelerated access to investigational doses and potential approved vaccines, and US$10 million for broader response needs.

Several uncertainties remain. The vaccine candidates still need clinical data, regulatory review and agreement on how doses would be used during an outbreak. Security conditions in parts of eastern Congo may also make trial planning, case follow-up and vaccine delivery more difficult.

The next steps are expected to include preclinical testing, preparation for Phase 1 studies and coordination with national authorities and global health agencies. If early results are favorable, CEPI and its partners may support late-stage trials to generate evidence for emergency use authorization or licensure.