• CEPI has accelerated development of three investigational vaccines against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, including a University of Oxford candidate to be manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII).
• CEPI has committed up to US$8.6 million to support preclinical testing, manufacturing, and preparation for Phase 1 clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine.
• The funding comes amid a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, where no licensed vaccine is currently available for the Bundibugyo virus strain.
The Oxford-SII programme is one of three vaccine candidates selected by CEPI for accelerated development following a global review of Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine research conducted in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa CDC, Gavi, ANRS-MIE, and affected countries. The three candidates, being developed by the University of Oxford, Moderna, and IAVI, use different vaccine technologies to increase the likelihood of producing a safe and effective vaccine against the virus.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced on June 1 that it will accelerate development of an experimental Ebola vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), as part of efforts to respond to the rapidly expanding Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
CEPI has committed up to US$8.6 million to support preclinical testing, manufacturing of clinical-grade doses, and preparations for Phase 1 trials of the vaccine candidate, at a time when no licensed vaccine exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has triggered an urgent international response, with hundreds of suspected cases and deaths reported since the outbreak began.
On 17 May 2026, WHO declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), while Africa CDC designated it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS).¹ According to Oxford and CEPI, the outbreak has resulted in more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths, making it the third-largest filovirus outbreak recorded to date.
To accelerate vaccine development, CEPI has backed three investigational candidates being developed by IAVI, Moderna, and the University of Oxford. The Oxford candidate will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India as part of preparations for clinical testing.¹
The effort is particularly significant because there is currently no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and no candidate has yet reached advanced clinical trials.¹
The University of Oxford's vaccine candidate is based on the ChAdOx1 platform, the same technology used in the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers are using the platform to develop a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no licensed vaccine currently exists.²
The vaccine candidate, known as ChAdOx1 BDBV, is a monovalent vaccine specifically designed to target Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Oxford researchers are working with the University's Clinical BioManufacturing Facility and the Serum Institute of India to rapidly produce and scale vaccine doses while generating the preclinical data required for regulatory approval and human testing.
CEPI has committed up to US$8.6 million to support preclinical testing, production of clinical-grade vaccine doses, and preparations for Phase 1 trials.¹
The funding will also support the creation of a Master Virus Seed stock, a critical manufacturing step that enables large-scale vaccine production. Clinical-grade vaccine doses will be manufactured by SII under a pre-existing agreement with CEPI.¹
The vaccine will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), which previously produced the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at scale.²
The funding will also support early manufacturing activities needed to prepare the vaccine for human testing, with the goal of advancing clinical evaluation as quickly as possible during the ongoing outbreak.¹
Also see: Ebola Outbreak Declared a Global Health Emergency – What You Need to Know
The University of Oxford is developing the Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidate in partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SII), which will manufacture doses for early clinical trials.¹²
The collaboration builds on the long-standing relationship between Oxford and SII, which previously worked together on the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the University of Oxford, SII's manufacturing capacity is expected to help accelerate vaccine production during the ongoing outbreak.²
The programme also benefits from SII's participation in CEPI's Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network, which was established to improve rapid vaccine production during future epidemic and pandemic threats.¹
Under CEPI's funding programme, SII will produce clinical-grade vaccine doses needed for Phase 1 testing, supporting efforts to move the candidate into human trials as quickly as possible.¹
There is currently no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, making the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a significant public health challenge.³
Health officials and vaccine developers are working to accelerate testing of new candidates in the hope of expanding the tools available to control the outbreak and protect high-risk populations.²
Although licensed vaccines exist for the Zaire strain of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or specific therapeutics for Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Previous Bundibugyo outbreaks have recorded case fatality rates ranging from 30% to 50%, underscoring the urgent need for preventive tools during the current epidemic.⁴⁶
The Oxford vaccine remains in early development, the collaboration between CEPI, the University of Oxford, and the Serum Institute of India highlights the growing international effort to prepare vaccines more quickly during emerging disease outbreaks.¹
"With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. "CEPI's urgent funding and support for these three promising candidates aims to advance safe, effective vaccines to help control this epidemic."¹
References:
1.Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). CEPI Fast-Tracks Three Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Vaccine Candidates. Oslo, June 1, 2026. https://cepi.net/cepi-fast-tracks-three-bundibugyo-ebolavirus-vaccine-candidates.
2.University of Oxford. Oxford Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Vaccine Candidate Receives CEPI Backing. Oxford, June 1, 2026. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-06-01-oxford-bundibugyo-ebolavirus-vaccine-candidate-receives-cepi-backing.
3. World Health Organization (WHO). Disease Outbreak News: Ebola Disease Caused by Bundibugyo Virus. Geneva, 2026. https://www.who.int.
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