Non-Profit IAVI Has Begun A US Clinical Trial, For A Potential Marburg Vaccine — rVSV∆G-MARV-GP: Good News!

At the moment, there are no active outbreaks of this distant cousin to Ebola, known inside (or outside) Africa. But when it takes root in a host body, it leads to an often-lethal severe febrile illness — sometimes with profuse hemorrhaging. It is a potent killer, to be certain. And we sorely need a vaccine.

So about 110 healthy US volunteers are taking the candidate, in a multi location proof of safety trial. That’s good progress. Here’s the latest, from IAVI:

…IAVI, a global nonprofit biomedical research organization, announced today that the first participants have been vaccinated with a Marburg virus (MARV) vaccine candidate in a Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S.

Known as IAVI C104 (NCT07425821), this first-in-human study is designed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of IAVI’s investigational rVSV∆G-MARV-GP vaccine candidate. In nonclinical studies, the vaccine candidate has generated consistently strong efficacy results. A single intramuscular vaccination with rVSV∆G-MARV-GP in nonclinical studies protected 100% against lethal challenge with Marburg virus. . . .

IAVI C104 takes place at several U.S. locations. The study is placebo-controlled, randomized, and observer-blind in design. The study vaccine will be administered intramuscularly at four dosage levels. Approximately 112 healthy adults will be enrolled and followed for six months after vaccination to monitor participant safety and to evaluate their immune responses to the vaccine candidate, which will be assessed using assays developed by IAVI scientists….