Health Canada authorized Moderna to run a Phase 1 trial of its mRNA Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine in Canada, making it the second country after the U.K. to test a candidate for the strain.
Three Canadian sites — Halifax, Truro and Toronto — are expected to enroll about 80 participants to assess safety, dosing and side effects before any later-stage studies.
Moderna said it hopes to analyze Phase 1 results this fall and, under a CEPI agreement, would make at least 500,000 doses available to low- and middle-income countries if the shot is licensed.
Congo's outbreak has recorded more than 3,800 infections and about 1,700 deaths since mid-May, spreading to five provinces as health teams struggle in remote, conflict-hit areas.
Experts warn the vaccine may take more than a year to prove out and may not arrive in time for the current crisis, leaving containment to existing outbreak-control measures and possible cross-protection from Zaire Ebola shots.