The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $2 million contract to Colorado State University’s Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Academic Resource Center, to help develop a vaccine to protect against Ebola and similar viruses.
The work will involve early-phase manufacturing of vaccines already in development so they can then be tested.
"Our role is to take their lead candidate vaccines, then manufacture them for analysis in preparation for clinical trials," said BioMARC Director Dennis Pierro. "Then if the analysis goes well, we’ll roll that into production for clinical trials."
Currently there are no FDA-approved vaccines to protect against or treat deadly filoviruses, which include the Ebolaand Marburgviruses.
The primary focus is on developing a vaccine to protect soldiers, but it could eventually be used to treat outbreaks in the general public.
"I think the university has made a great investment in not only advancing research here on campus but also its impact across the country," Pierro said. "I think this is an excellent example of us being ready and willing and trained to handle products that will have an impact here nationally, as well as internationally."
