Canada greenlights Moderna's Phase 1 trial of mRNA vaccine for Bundibugyo Ebola

On Aug 4, Canada’s health ministry gave Moderna permission to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine designed for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The study will enroll healthy participants to assess safety, determine optimal dosing, and monitor any adverse reactions while measuring the immune response to the virus. If the data are encouraging, the program will move to subsequent phases with more participants.

The vaccine uses the same messenger-RNA platform employed in Moderna’s COVID-19 shot. Canada, which recently barred entry to recent travelers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has also secured an agreement for local manufacturing of the candidate. No Ebola cases have been reported in Canada, and the Bundibugyo variant remains without an approved vaccine or treatment worldwide.