CEPI Allocates $4.17 Million to Test Existing Ebola Vaccines Against Outbreak Strain

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced a $4.17 million research grant to assess whether previously licensed vaccines against Zaire ebolavirus can cross-protect against the Bundibugyo strain. The funding initiative targets the ongoing viral outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was recently classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. International research consortiums are evaluating real-world antibody neutralizing responses to determine whether existing stockpiles can be deployed to safeguard front-line healthcare workers and prevent further cross-border transmission across Central Africa. Evaluating Cross-Protection Against the Bundibugyo OutbreakIn an urgent global health initiative, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has allocated $4.17 million across four international research projects to evaluate whether existing vaccines designed for Zaire ebolavirus can offer cross-protection against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The targeted funding comes in response to a rapidly escalating Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because specific vaccines engineered exclusively for the Bundibugyo strain remain in early development and clinical trial stages, health authorities are investigating whether established vaccines—such as Merck's licensed Ervebo and the Zabdeno/Mvabea regimen—can be effectively deployed to mitigate early-stage disease transmission. Key Research Grants and Academic ConsortiumsSelected through a competitive call for proposals, the four funded studies draw on deep biobanks and longitudinal participant cohorts across Africa and Europe. The largest single grant of $2.05 million was awarded to the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, which, in collaboration with the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), will evaluate immune responses in long-running cohorts previously vaccinated against Zaire ebolavirus. Additionally, the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp received $1.02 million for its EBO-BOOST-BRIDGE project, leveraging a biobank of over 600 trial participants to measure cross-reactive antibodies. Complementary research teams at the University of Glasgow and other partner institutions are developing specialized diagnostic assays to precisely measure neutralising antibody activity against emerging filoviruses. Informing Emergency Deployment StrategiesThe data generated from these laboratory analyses will provide vital evidence for global bodies like the World Health Organization and national regulatory agencies as they formulate outbreak response frameworks. Initial results, expected within months, will establish whether deploying stockpiled Zaire vaccines offers immediate population-level immunity or if emergency response strategies must rely strictly on newly fast-tracked candidate vaccines. By funding parallel cross-protection studies alongside new vaccine development pipelines, CEPI reinforces its "100 Days Mission" to accelerate scientific solutions and safeguard vulnerable populations during emerging epidemic threats.