Oxford Vaccine Advances To Human Trials For Nipah Virus
Following successful preclinical trials of the vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 NiV for the Nipah virus, which causes brain-swelling, the vaccine has now advanced to the human testing phase.
Conducted by the University of Oxford with a cohort of 52 participants, the human trial aims to evaluate safety and immune response in individuals aged 18 to 55, according to a spokesperson from the University’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, as reported by Reuters.
The first doses of the ChAdOx1 NiV vaccine were administered to participants in the Oxford trial during the past week.
Given the absence of an existing vaccine for Nipah, the trial employs a technology akin to the development of AstraZeneca’s and the Serum Institute of India’s Covid-19 shots.
Dr In-Kyu Yoon, an executive at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), emphasized the epidemic potential of Nipah, given its fruit bat hosts residing in areas inhabited by over two billion people.
He described the trial as a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to establish a comprehensive set of tools for protection against this deadly virus.
While the Oxford Vaccine Group spearheads the trial, funding for human testing is provided by CEPI, a global coalition dedicated to supporting the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.