Filovirus hemorrhagic fever is a highly infectious disease with a high mortality rate, often leading to hemorrhage, multiple organ failure, and death. The causative viruses include Ebola (Sudan, Bundibugyo strains) and Marburg. Currently, there are no specific treatments for these diseases; care is mainly supportive, focusing on symptom management. Patients require strict isolation to prevent outbreaks.

Ebola virus disease causes high fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, and internal and external bleeding. Its mortality rate can reach 50-90% depending on the strain. Marburg virus disease leads to fever, severe headache, diarrhea, hemorrhage, and multiple organ failure, with a mortality rate ranging from 24-88% during outbreaks. For prevention, two vaccines are licensed globally for Ebola virus. However, no vaccines exist for the Sudan or Marburg viruses, which have caused numerous recent outbreaks in the sub-Saharan region.

Vaccine research and development area at Oxford. *Photo: Oxford*

To address this gap, Oxford experts are developing a multivalent vaccine. This approach aims for proactive vaccination for high-risk groups, moving beyond reactive responses to outbreaks. Artificial intelligence will be used to design antigens, which will then be tested on two platforms: Oxford's ChAdOx vaccine and Moderna's mRNA platform. Potential candidates will undergo preclinical evaluation before advancing to phase I clinical trials in the UK to determine safety and immunogenicity.

Early in January, the project secured 26,7 million USD in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the European Union's Horizon Europe program. The research team comprises Vaccine Group Oxford, the Pandemic Sciences Institute (University of Oxford), the Drug Discovery Institute at the University of Leipzig, and the biotechnology company Moderna.

This initiative also supports CEPI's "100 Days Mission" program, which aims to shorten vaccine development time to 100 days from the detection of a new pathogen. The data collected will contribute to the "Disease X Vaccine Library", helping the global scientific community prepare for new viruses with pandemic potential.

Van Ha (According to CEPI, Oxford)