The Oxford Vaccine Group will lead the trials of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, which will include 51 persons aged 18 to 55.
The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom has initiated the first-in-human vaccine trials for the deadly Nipah virus, which affects numerous Asian countries, including India.
The Oxford Vaccine Group will lead the trials of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, which will include 51 persons aged 18 to 55.
According to the researchers, the Nipah virus is a terrible disease that can be fatal in approximately 75% of cases.
Outbreaks have occurred in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India, with the most recent occurring in Kerala in September of last year, they stated.
According to the experts, the Nipah virus is delivered by fruit bats and can also be transferred through contact with infected animals (such as pigs) or by intimate contact between people.
According to the researchers, the virus, which has been designated as a priority disease by the World Health Organization, belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known infections such as measles.
Even though the initial Nipah virus outbreaks occurred in Malaysia and Singapore 25 years ago, there are currently no licensed vaccinations or therapies.
“Nipah virus was first identified in 1998, and yet 25 years later, the global health community still has no approved vaccines or treatments for this devastating disease,” said Brian Angus of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, the trial’s Principal Investigator.
“Due to the disease’s high mortality rate and the nature of Nipah virus transmission, it has been designated as a priority pandemic pathogen.” This vaccine study is a significant step toward developing a remedy that could prevent local outbreaks while also assisting the globe in preparing for a future global pandemic,” Angus added.
Nipah has pandemic potential, according to In-Kyu Yoon, acting executive director of vaccine research and development at CEPI, the trial’s financiers because its fruit bat hosts are distributed in countries with over two billion people.
“This trial is a significant step forward in efforts to develop a suite of tools to protect against this lethal virus.” “The knowledge gained could also be used to develop other Paramyxovirus countermeasures,” Yoon said.
The vaccine is based on the ChAdOx1 platform, which was also used for the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to the researchers.
The project will last 18 months, with more trials in Nipah-affected countries scheduled to follow.
