NIAID/GSK Experimental Ebola Vaccine Appears Safe, Prompts Immune Response
An experimental vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease was well-tolerated and produced immune system responses in all 20 healthy adults who received it in a Phase I clinical trial conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health. The candidate vaccine, which was co-developed by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was tested at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The interim results are reported online in advance of print in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“The unprecedented scale of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has intensified efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines, which may play a role in bringing this epidemic to an end and undoubtedly will be critically important in preventing future large outbreaks,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD. “Based on these positive results from the first human trial of this candidate vaccine, we are continuing our accelerated plan for larger trials to determine if the vaccine is efficacious in preventing Ebola infection.”
The candidate NIAID/GSK Ebola vaccine was developed collaboratively by scientists at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and at Okairos, a biotechnology company acquired by GSK. It contains segments of Ebola virus genetic material from two virus species, Sudan and Zaire. The Ebola virus genetic material is delivered by a carrier virus (chimpanzee-derived adenovirus 3 or cAd 3) that causes a common cold in chimpanzees but causes no illness in humans. The candidate vaccine does not contain Ebola virus and cannot cause Ebola virus disease.
The trial enrolled volunteers between the ages of 18 and 50. Ten volunteers received an intramuscular injection of vaccine at a lower dose and 10 received the same vaccine at a higher dose. At two weeks and four weeks following vaccination, the researchers tested the volunteers’ blood to determine if anti-Ebola antibodies were generated. All 20 volunteers developed such antibodies within four weeks of receiving the vaccine. Antibody levels were higher in those who received the higher dose vaccine.
The investigators also analysed the research participants’ blood to learn whether the vaccine prompted production of immune system cells called T cells. A recent study by VRC scientist Nancy J. Sullivan, PhD, and colleagues showed that non-human primates inoculated with the candidate NIAID/GSK vaccine developed both antibody and T-cell responses, and that these were sufficient to protect vaccinated animals from disease when they were later exposed to high levels of Ebola virus.
The experimental NIAID/GSK vaccine did induce a T-cell response in many of the volunteers, including production of CD8 T cells, which may be an important part of immune protection against Ebola viruses. Four weeks after vaccination, CD8 T cells were detected in two volunteers who had received the lower dose vaccine and in seven of those who had received the higher dose.
“We know from previous studies in non-human primates that CD8 T cells played a crucial role in protecting animals that had been vaccinated with this NIAID/GSK vaccine and then exposed to otherwise lethal amounts of Ebola virus,” said Julie E. Ledgerwood, DO, a VRC researcher and the trial’s principal investigator. “The size and quality of the CD8 T cell response we saw in this trial are similar to that observed in non-human primates vaccinated with the candidate vaccine.”
There were no serious adverse effects observed in any of the volunteers, although two people who received the higher dose vaccine did develop a briefly lasting fever within a day of vaccination.
Related News
-
News CPHI Podcast Series: The power of proteins in antibody drug development
In the latest episode of the CPHI Podcast Series, Lucy Chard is joined by Thomas Cornell from Abzena to discuss protein engineering for drug design and development. -
News Amgen sues Samsung biologics unit over biosimilar for bone disease
Samsung Bioepis, the biologics unit of Samsung, has been issued a lawsuit brought forth by Amgen over proposed biosimilars of Amgen’s bone drugs Prolia and Xgeva. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: Why we need to consider women in clinical trials
The latest episode of the CPHI Podcast Series with Lucy Chard covers women's health, specifically women's representation in clinical trials, the associated bias, and the impacts on health for this population. -
News US FDA does not approve MDMA therapy for PTSD, requests more data
The MDMA-based therapeutic developed by Lykos Therapeutics, a California-based Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), has been reviewed and unapproved by the US FDA. The regulator has requested additional phase III trial data for further safety and efficacy... -
News Novartis and Viatris latest facing lawsuit over HeLa cell misuse
Global pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Viatris are the latest hit with a lawsuit claim pertaining to alleged misuse of the ‘HeLa’ cell line from the estate of woman whose cancerous tissue cells were taken without consent. -
News Sanofi invests billions into Frankfurt insulin production site
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi have announced an investment of EUR1.3 billion at their existing BioCampus site in Frankfurt am Main for the expansion of insulin production. -
News Novel oral Type 1 diabetes drug gains US FDA IND designation
A University of Alabama at Birmingham startup has gained FDA clearance for Investigational New Drug clinical trials for an oral Type 1 diabetes drug, a milestone for diabetes treatment. -
News A Day in the Life of a Vice President in R&D & Engineering
In the Day in the Life of Series, we've already had the chance to get to know a range of people in various roles in the pharma industry. In the latest interview we get a glimpse into the R&D side of things from Jennifer Sorrells, Vice Presiden...
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance