The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Colorado State University (CSU) have partnered to advance the development of a Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus vaccine.
The European Union’s (EU’s) Horizon 2020 program enabled CEPI to provide up to $9.5 million to the university for manufacturing and preclinical studies to assess a single-dose vaccine candidate (DDVax) against RVF.
The virus was initially identified in 1931 during an investigation into an outbreak among sheep on a farm in the Rift Valley of Kenya. The potentially fatal virus is found across Africa and is now emerging in the Middle East.
“We’re delighted to partner with Colorado State University to develop a human vaccine against Rift Valley fever virus,” Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said. “This vaccine will be the 24th candidate to join CEPI’s portfolio. Rift Valley fever has substantial epidemic potential. The world needs to accelerate its efforts to develop a vaccine against this deadly virus, and that’s exactly what we aim to achieve through this collaboration. By supporting the development of Rift Valley fever vaccines, CEPI hopes to improve global health security and strengthen the world’s epidemic-preparedness capacity.”
RVF vaccines have been used successfully to protect livestock, but officials acknowledged no vaccine has been licensed for use in humans. RVF can cause severe symptoms and kills about one in every hundred people it infects.
“We are excited to partner with CEPI and to work towards manufacturing a Rift Valley fever vaccine for humans,” Alan Rudolph, CSU vice president for Research, said. “Our team and UC Davis are well-positioned to develop this much-needed medical countermeasure to reduce suffering and mortality from this disease.”