The VSV-EBOVAC project, coordinated by SVA, aims to support the clinical development of a highly promising new Ebola vaccine candidate, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)- vectored Zaire Ebola vaccine (VSV-ZEBOV). The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified VSV-ZEBOV as one of the three most promising Ebola vaccine candidates, and clinical trials are initiated mid 2014 in Europe and Africa.

The VSV-EBOVAC project is addressed to acquire new and critical knowledge of the innate and adaptive immune responses elicited in humans by VSV-ZEBOV vaccination, with specific emphasis on trancriptomics and metabolomics signatures. To this aim, it was constructed a consortium that brings together 12 leading international, both clinical and high tech, vaccine research institutes from 6 EU countries and USA as well as two African clinical sites. The partners provide including state-of-the art facilities and existing clinical vaccination research infrastructures that will work together to facilitate Ebola vaccine development.

This project proposes an ambitious program using cutting-edge technologies to perform an in depth characterization of the clinical samples harvested before/after VSV-ZEBOV immunization of 200 volunteers in Switzerland, Gabon and Kenya, and to extend the recently initiated clinical studies up to 12 months to identify the signatures and determinants of persistent immune responses. This will allow them to gather vital information on both the strength of the immune responses triggered by the vaccine and vaccine safety.

The VSV-EBOVAC project started in 1 of March of 2015, is a 3 year project and  received an IMI contribution of 3.9M€ and together with the funding provided by Wellcome Trust Foundation and funding to Swiss participants from the Swiss government brings the total contribution to 8M€.

for more information visit the VSV-EBOVAC website