Scientists from China have developed a new broad-spectrum mRNA vaccine that could provide long-term protection against the most lethal family of Ebola viruses, including the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD), is a hemorrhagic fever that can cause fever, vomiting, internal bleeding, and organ failure, and is fatal in around 50% of cases. It is caused by viruses in the genus Orthoebolavirus and is spread through direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids.
Our weapons against the potentially deadly disease are limited. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently two licensed Ebola vaccines, but they primarily target a single Ebola species, Zaire ebolavirus. What is needed is a vaccine for multiple deadly strains.
Developing an all-in-one defense
To try and plug the gap in our Ebola defenses, researchers designed a multi-strain mRNA vaccine called [GPs+NP]@LNP, as they detail in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is the same technology used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Instead of using a live or weakened virus, the vaccine carries genetic instructions for specific viral proteins from multiple deadly strains (such as Ebola, Sudan, and Bundibugyo) designed to train the immune system against future infection.
Specifically, they combined three surface glycoproteins, the outer spikes of the virus that latch onto and infect human cells, and one nucleoprotein. This is an internal structural protein and is nearly identical across all Ebola strains. While the glycoproteins trigger protective antibodies, the nucleoprotein helps activate killer T cells that hunt down and destroy infected cells.
“This combination is designed to trigger both strong antibody responses and cellular immunity with high compatibility between GPs and NP,” explained the study authors in their paper.
Promising results
The vaccine was tested in mice exposed to Ebola virus (EBOV) and Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), and in hamsters exposed to Sudan virus (SUDV). The results were impressive.
EBOV mice given the vaccine showed 100% survival and strong viral clearance in the blood and major organs, including the liver and spleen. Likewise, the vaccine reduced viral loads in BDBV mice. Meanwhile, the hamsters kept a stable weight and eliminated all circulating virus from their blood.
One of the most striking results was that the protection was long-lasting, remaining for about 17 months after the mice were vaccinated.
“These findings highlight [GPs+NP]@LNP as a promising approach for the development of next-generation vaccines targeting multiple pathogenic orthoebolaviruses,” said the researchers.
While these results are good news, the multi-strain vaccine is still in its early stages of development. The research team notes that the next stage will involve higher-order animal models, such as non-human primates, before it can progress to human clinical trials.
Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive.
If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You’ll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Jiachen Zhang et al, Multivalent mRNA vaccine platform with compatible antigens conferred broad-spectrum protection against orthoebolaviruses’ exposure, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2517814123
Journal information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The content is provided for information purposes only.