SGS Accelerated Biosafety Testing Supports World-first Oxford Ebola Vaccine Trial

We are pleased to announce that we have recently supported the rapid progression of the University of Oxford’s ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine candidate toward the world’s first Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine targeting Bundibugyo ebolavirus.

The vaccine candidate has received regulatory approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), enabling the Phase I study involving 50 healthy adults aged 18–55 to begin. The first volunteer was vaccinated on July 24, 2026, by the Oxford Vaccine Group. The study will evaluate the vaccine candidate’s safety and the immune response it generates.

There is currently no licensed vaccine specifically targeting Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The candidate uses the ChAdOx1 viral vector platform that underpinned the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The program progressed from the WHO’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) to the opening of the Phase I study in just 57 days.

For the ChAdOx1 BDBV program, scientists at the SGS Biosafety Laboratory in Glasgow applied an accelerated nucleic acid-based viral safety testing strategy. We completed viral safety testing to support release of the first vaccine batch and assessed starting materials used to manufacture batches for clinical trials. Testing of additional starting materials and batches is expected as the program progresses.

The accelerated methods used for this program were established before the COVID-19 pandemic and were subsequently applied by us to support clinical trial and commercial batch testing for the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. AstraZeneca and its global partners later reported that more than three billion doses of the vaccine had been released for supply to over 180 countries.

"When public health emergencies demand speed, scientific rigor cannot be compromised. We are proud that the specialized expertise of our SGS Biosafety Laboratory in Glasgow has supported the rapid progression of this investigational Ebola vaccine program. By applying advanced testing approaches proven through earlier time-critical vaccine programs, our scientists are helping vaccine innovators move with greater speed and confidence. This collaboration demonstrates the important role SGS can play in accelerating critical health innovation while maintaining rigorous standards of quality and safety," said Dr. Archie Lovatt, Scientific Operations Director, SGS Biosafety Laboratory.

Professor Teresa Lambe OBE, Calleva Head of Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute, said: “The ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak continues to devastate affected communities, and it is clear that there is an urgent need for effective vaccines and treatments. Our team has worked tirelessly with global partners, including SGS, to develop a candidate ChAdOx BDBV vaccine. It is precisely these collaborative partnerships that can facilitate a rapid response in the face of rapidly evolving outbreak."

Through its global network of laboratories, we provide biosafety testing, biologics characterization, analytical development, quality control and clinical trial support services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.

The collaboration demonstrates how proven scientific platforms, advanced testing capabilities and experienced development partners can help innovators respond faster to urgent global health needs. It also highlights our ability to apply specialist expertise across successive complex and time-critical pharmaceutical development programs.

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For further information contact:

Cameron Bell BSc (Hons)
Pharma – SGS Biosafety Laboratory
Territory Account Manager – UK & Ireland
t:+44 (0)7874 874846