The programme is an important step from Ella Foundation to support World Immunisation Goals
Genome Valley-based Ella Foundation has completed preliminary studies on an Ebola vaccine. The vaccine candidate is a human adenovirus engineered to contain an optimised synthetic gene based on viruses from the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Its platform uses controlled production of the glycoprotein.
Announcing the development, Dr Krishna Ella, Founder Director, Ella Foundation said, “We believe innovation needs to be pursued and funneled into control strategies whenever appropriate. No nation can withstand sudden shocks, whether these come from a changing climate or a virus. Availability of a vaccine should help India in its preparedness to combat the disease in case the virus lands on our shores. It would also be useful to protect our healthcare and military aid workers to African nations and attain world-wide immunisation goals.”
This programme is an important step from Ella Foundation to support World Immunisation Goals. Applauding the world immunisation week initiated by WHO and observed in the last week of April every year, Ella pointed out childhood immunisation is one of the most efficient ways to protect the health of children, family, and community. It is among the most cost-effective public health measures that helps minimise disease burden.
Currently, there are no drugs or vaccines for Ebola. Urgency was never felt until the disease reached epidemic proportions in 2014. Ella, says at this moment, animal experiments with the candidate vaccine have been completed, and these will be followed by pre-clinical toxicology and then clinical trials in humans.
Ebola Vaccine Program initiated by Ella Foundation is an expression of solidarity and the pledge by the Prime Minister of India to help the West African nations with their fight against Ebola virus disease. Ella Foundation earlier helped Bharat Biotech to develop of H1N1 pandemic influenza in the early stage.