CEPI Allocates $60 Million for Ebola Vaccine Trials Targeting Bundibugyo Strain
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced a $60 million funding initiative to support clinical trials for vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo species of ebolavirus. This funding is primarily directed towards Moderna, which will receive $50 million to advance its mRNA vaccine candidate. The remaining funds are allocated to the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, receiving $8.6 million, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which will receive $3.2 million. The initiative aims to address the ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has resulted in 220 deaths and approximately 1,100 suspected cases. CEPI's funding will support preclinical testing, phase 1 clinical trials, and the manufacturing of vaccine doses to facilitate rapid progression to larger phase 2/3 trials if initial results are promising. 
