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Emergent completes proof-of-concept production of new Ebola vaccine

US-based Emergent BioSolutions has completed proof-of concept manufacturing of a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Ebola Zaire vaccine candidate (MVA EBOZ).

The MVA Ebola Zaire vaccine candidate is expected to be used in a Phase I clinical trial being supported by a grant from the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development.

The vaccine candidate was developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The trial, which will be conducted by Jenner Institute professor Adrian Hill, is designed to evaluate the safety of MVA EBOZ as a heterologous boost to GSK’s Chimp Adenovirus type 3 (ChAd3) Ebola vaccine candidate.

As part of these agreements, Emergent had conducted a proof of concept work and produced MVA EBOZ vaccine candidate at a 200L scale in an avian cell line, which had previously been licenced to the company.

Emergent BioSolutions president and CEO Daniel Abdun-Nabi said: "Emergent is pleased to be collaborating with the Jenner Institute, Oxford University, NIAID, and GSK to advance this MVA EBOZ vaccine candidate into a Phase I study.

"Emergent is well-positioned for this unique opportunity given our long standing expertise in MVA product development and our MVA manufacturing capabilities utilizing a proprietary avian cell line to which we hold rights.

"This is the first time an MVA EBOZ vaccine candidate has been produced at a 200L scale in an avian cell line and we look forward to continuing this collaborative effort to address this public health threat."

The new vaccine has been manufactured at Emergent’s Bayview Campus facility in Baltimore, Maryland. The facility is equipped with disposable manufacturing technology such as single use bioreactors that allows production of viral and non-viral products with a quick turnaround.