The ongoing outbreak of
Ebola virus disease in West Africa highlighted the lack of a licensed
drug or
vaccine to combat the disease and has renewed the urgency to develop a pipeline of
Ebola vaccines. A number of different
vaccine platforms are being developed by assessing preclinical efficacy in animal models and expediting clinical development. Over 15 different
vaccines are in preclinical development and 8
vaccines are now in different stages of clinical evaluation. These
vaccines include
DNA vaccines, virus-like particles and viral vectors such as live replicating
vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV), human and chimpanzee adenovirus, and vaccinia virus. Recently, in preliminary results reported from the first phase III trial of an
Ebola vaccine, the rVSV-vectored
vaccine showed promising efficacy. This review charts this rapidly advancing area of research focusing on
vaccines in clinical development and discusses the future opportunities and challenges faced in the licensure and deployment of
Ebola vaccines.