Research news
Oxford University commences clinical trial of candidate vaccine against deadly Nipah virus
Jan 23 2025
Human study aims to find first-ever defence to mitigate risk of zoonotic pathogen
The first in-humans clinical trial of a vaccine candidate to protect against the deadly Nipah virus (NiV) has started. The investigational vaccine ─ designated ChAdOx1 NipahB ─ has been developed at the University of Oxford. There are still no approved vaccines, or even effective treatments, available to the medical community despite there having been 25 years of NiV outbreaks. This candidate vaccine hopes to break that losing streak and provide protection against the viral disease which has can be fatal in 75% of cases.
Developed by researchers at Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, the ChAdOx1 NipahB investigative drug will be administered to fifty-one people aged 18 to 55 who will participate in the trial, which is being led by the Oxford Vaccine Group within the Department for Paediatrics, and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
NiV’s pathology, which ranges from asymptomatic through cough to fatal encephalitis, is said to be the inspiration for the disease portrayed in the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ Outbreaks have occurred across Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, with two recent outbreaks in Kerala, India in 2023.
Nipah has been recognised by the World Health Organization as a priority disease requiring urgent research, belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known pathogens like measles. Despite the first outbreaks of Nipah virus occurring in 1999 in Malaysia, there is no vaccine or specific treatment regime beyond supportive therapy which could include rest, hydration and treatment of symptoms as they occur.
“Nipah virus was first identified in 1999, and yet 25 years on the global health community still has no approved vaccines or treatments for this devastating disease,” said Professor Brian Angus, who is the principal investigator for the trial and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine and Global Health at Oxford.
“Due to the high mortality rate and the nature of Nipah virus transmission, the disease is identified as a priority pandemic pathogen. This vaccine trial is an important milestone in identifying a solution that could prevent local outbreaks occurring, while also helping the world prepare for a future global pandemic,” he said.
NiV is a zoonotic virus and fruit bats have been identified as the virus’ animal reservoir. The US federal agency, the CDC, has stated that NiV infection can be prevented by ‘avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in areas where the virus is present and not drinking raw date palm sap (juice) which can become contaminated by an infected bat.’
The agency has said that death can occur in 40-75% of cases, with survivors of NiV infection suffering long-term side effects including persistent convulsions and personality changes.
It is thought that the virus’ leap into pigs will eventually make the emergence of a strain that can transmit more easily human-to-human more likely.
Following the recent experience globally of COVID-19, there is currently greater awareness across populations and policymakers of the heightened risk of emerging future pandemic pathogens.
“Nipah has epidemic potential, with its fruit bat hosts found in areas home to over two billion people. This trial is a step forward in efforts to build a suite of tools to protect against this killer virus. Knowledge gained could also inform development of other Paramyxovirus countermeasures,” said Dr In-Kyu Yoon, who is acting executive director of vaccine research and development at CEPI, a leading funder of Nipah virus research.
The Oxford healthy volunteer trial will run for another 18 months, with follow-up trials expected in a Nipah-affected country.
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Lab Asia 32.1 Feb 2025
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