Comparing the efficacy and safety of potential clinical vaccines for the Ebola virus

The Ebola virus disease is one of the most dangerous diseases to develop into a major health concern in the modern era, largely because of the ZEBOV outbreak that has devastated West Africa from 2014 to 2016. The outbreak has compelled many countries and organizations to prioritize finding a vaccine for Ebola, which is key to preventing a similar outbreak on a global scale. As a result, studies on Ebola vaccines have increased in frequency since 2014. This thesis will focus on three vaccine candidates that could potentially be developed into a future vaccine for Ebola: chAd3, rVSV, and rAd5. Each of the vaccines has been the focus of several studies on both animals and humans, which have provided information and understanding of the vaccines’ characteristics in terms of reactogenicity and immunogenicity. All of the vaccines demonstrate safety and immunogenicity profiles that offer promise for the vaccines as future candidates, which at first makes them seem very similar to each other. However, they each differ substantially in their flaws and ability to generate an immunogenic response. More specifically, the chAd3 vaccine requires a boost of MVA to reach its full potential, the rVSV vaccine has expressed a higher level of reactogenicity and adverse effects than the other two vaccines, and the rAd5 vaccine’s efficacy is weakened by the presence of pre-existing immunity against Ad5 in the human population