ANI
31 Jan 2023, 03:25 GMT+10
Washington [US], January 31 (ANI): The Marburg virus (MARV) experimental vaccine was safe and elicited an immunological response in a tiny, first-in-human clinical study, according to a recently published paper in The Lancet. The vaccine may one day be a crucial weapon in combating Marburg virus outbreaks, according to experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health.
cAd3-Marburg, an investigational MARV vaccine candidate created at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center, was tested in this first-in-human, Phase 1 research (VRC). The chimpanzee adenovirus used in this vaccine, known as cAd3, has been altered such that it can no longer reproduce or infect cells. It also shows a glycoprotein found on the surface of the MARV virus, which triggers immune responses against the virus. The cAd3 vaccine platform demonstrated a good safety profile in prior clinical trials when used in investigational Ebola virus and Sudan virus vaccines developed by the VRC.
MARV, a filovirus in the same family as the Ebola virus, causes a rapidly progressive febrile illness that leads to shock and death in a large proportion of infected individuals. Many scientists think that MARV disease outbreaks in humans begin by when the virus makes the jump from its primary animal host, which is likely to be certain chronically infected bats in sub-Saharan Africa.
The symptoms of MARV disease are akin to those seen with Ebola virus disease and can include fever, headache, chills, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. As the disease progresses, patients may suffer from multiple organ dysfunction, delirium, and significant bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract or other sites that may result in death. No approved vaccines or specific therapies are available for MARV disease, aside from supportive care.
While some experimental vaccines have previously been tested, none have proven to be both highly effective and to provide durable protection. In areas of Africa where a vaccine for Marburg is most needed, a single-dose vaccine that could protect recipients over a long period of time would be a crucial part of quelling outbreaks.
In this study, 40 healthy adult volunteers were enrolled at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trials Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. They received a single dose of either a low dose of the vaccine (1x1010 particle units) or a higher dose (1x1011 particle units). For safety, the volunteers were enrolled in a dose-escalation plan.
Three participants received the lower dose. Then, when they did not exhibit severe adverse reactions after the first seven days, the trial proceeded to enrol the remaining 17 volunteers. The same procedure was also used for the higher-dose group. Volunteers were monitored for adverse reactions to the investigational vaccine and evaluated at regular intervals for 48 weeks to track their immune responses.
The trial's safety results were encouraging: There were no serious adverse events, and the experimental vaccine was well-tolerated. One participant in the higher dose group developed a fever following vaccination, but it resolved by the following day. In addition, the investigational vaccine appeared to induce strong, long-lasting immunity to the MARV glycoprotein: 95% of participants in the trial exhibited a robust antibody response after vaccination, and 70% maintained that response for more than 48 weeks.
Plans are in place to conduct further trials of the cAd3-Marburg vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and the United States. If additional data support the promising results seen in the Phase 1 trial, the cAd3-Marburg virus vaccine could someday be used in emergency responses to MARV outbreaks. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Africa Leader news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Africa Leader.
More InformationMore than 200 journalists and news photographers, together with family members, have been killed in Gaza in the last 16 months. Despite...
DALLAS, Texas--- The Texas health department has reported a slight rise in the number of measles cases statewide, rising to 561 from...
WASHINGTON, DC - A Trump administration early retirement plan at the Internal Revenue Service has been accepted by more than 22,000...
HONG KONG - Mail services between Hong Kong and the United States are the latest casualty in an escalating trade dispute, with Hong...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has announced that starting May 7 it will begin enforcing stricter...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump's administration asked a federal court to cancel a rule that limits credit card late fees...
NEW DELHI - India is preparing to scrap import taxes on U.S. ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as part of ongoing trade negotiations...
TOKYO, Japan: Facing the pressure of new U.S. tariffs, Honda is weighing a shift in its production strategy that could see more of...
BEIJING, China: China will raise battery safety standards for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, aiming to tackle fire and explosion...
HANOI, Vietnam: During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Hanoi this week, China and Vietnam agreed to take the first steps toward...
FORT WORTH, Texas: American Airlines will begin offering free high-speed Wi-Fi to passengers in January 2026, joining a growing list...
LONDON, UK: Electric vehicle sales surged globally in March, with strong growth in China and Europe offsetting slower momentum in North...