Two scientists on their race to make a new Ebola vaccine
From The Conversation Weekly by The Conversation
June 4, 2026 · 22 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the race to develop a new Ebola vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain amid an ongoing outbreak in the DRC.
As health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to battle an ongoing Ebola outbreak, scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the strain of the virus that’s causing it. Two approved vaccines exist for Ebola , but they target the Zaire strain of the virus, not the Bundibugyo strain causing the 2026 outbreak, which has so far killed 61 people with 359 confirmed cases in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda. In this episode, we speak to two scientists at the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, Teresa Lambe and Rebecca Makinson , who are developing a vaccine candidate for Bundibugyo virus. On June 1, they were among three research groups to receive fast-track funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations , alongside Moderna and IAVI. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware, Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the f ull credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.
People in this episode
Guests: Teresa Lambe, Rebecca Makinson
Topics covered
- Ebola vaccine
- scientific research
- public health
- infectious diseases
- vaccine development
Keywords
- Ebola
- vaccine
- Bundibugyo
- scientists
- outbreak
- public health
- Oxford Vaccine Group
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Moderna, IAVI
Places: Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda
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