VSV-EBOPLUS Open Conference, 28th March 2023

VSV-EBOPLUS project results presented at Open Conference, 28^th March 2023

The VSV-EBOPLUS project organized and online Open Conference on 28 March 2023 to share its main achievements and outcomes.

The conference was attended by over 90 participants from 33 different institutions, including academic, research institutes, industrial and regulatory partners, as well as representatives from other Ebola+ projects. The conference consisted of two sessions: the first one focused on the VSV-EBOPLUS project results, and the second one was focused on the presentations from other IMI2-funded projects in the Ebola virus disease (EVD) vaccine area. Please find more information here.

The first session of the conference was opened by the project and scientific coordinators, Prof. Donata Medaglini from University of Siena and Prof. Claire-Anne Siegrist from University of Geneva, who welcomed the attendees and gave an overview of the project objectives, activities and consortium. The following presentations covered different aspects of the project results and highlighted the main challenges and achievements of the project, in particular:

• the successful completion of a phase I/II clinical trial in healthy children in Gabon
• the performance of detailed analyses of immune and molecular signatures of immune responses elicited by rVSV-ZEBOV in humans
• the analysis of dynamic transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of the human immune response to VSV-ZEBOV vaccination
• the integration of the large amount of data generated.

The second session of the conference was dedicated to the presentations from three speakers representing other IMI2-funded projects in the EVD vaccine area:

• Dr. Cynthia Robinson from Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V. presented the main outcomes from EBOVAC 1 and EBOVAC 3 projects, which aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a prime-boost vaccination regimen consisting of two different adenovirus vectors expressing Ebola GP (Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo) in different populations and settings.
• Dr. Radolphe Thiébaut from INSERM presented the main outcomes from EBOVAC 2 project, which aimed to assess the immunogenicity and durability of immune responses induced by the Ad26.ZEBOV/MVA-BN-Filo vaccination regimen in different age groups and regions.
• Dr. Annik Willems from Johnson &Johnson Global Public Health presented the main outcomes from EBODAC project, which aimed to develop and implement strategies to enhance community engagement, acceptance and uptake of EVD vaccines in affected countries.

In conclusion, the conference was a successful event that provided an opportunity for VSV-EBOPLUS project partners to disseminate their results and achievements to a wide audience, as well as to exchange information and experiences with other IMI2-funded projects in the EVD vaccine area. The conference also showcased the impact and added value of public-private partnerships in advancing EVD vaccine research and development. The VSV-EBOPLUS project consortium thanked all the participants for their interest and involvement in the conference.