The Albany Gazette - Moderna and CEPI Expand Strategic Collaboration to Advance Potential Vaccine Against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus

CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 1, 2026 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) today announced an expanded collaboration with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance the development of a potential vaccine against Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), a cause of Ebola virus disease for which there are currently no licensed vaccines indicated.

Under the agreement, CEPI has committed up to US $50 million to support preclinical development and Phase 1 clinical testing of Moderna's investigational BDBV vaccine candidate. The funding will also support parallel manufacturing activities, enabling doses to be produced while clinical evaluation is underway and positioning the program to rapidly advance into large-scale Phase 2/3 trials should the Phase 1 safety and immunogenicity data support further development.

The vaccine candidate is being developed using Moderna's mRNA platform, the same technology that demonstrated rapid development, scalability, and global deployment capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program also builds on Moderna's existing research and development efforts in filoviruses, including Ebola-related viruses.

The collaboration further expands Moderna's longstanding strategic collaboration with CEPI, which is focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and other countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats.

"At Moderna, we believe our mRNA platform can play an important role in responding rapidly to emerging infectious disease threats," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "We are proud to expand our strategic collaboration with CEPI to advance a potential vaccine candidate against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, leveraging our established technology and experience in filovirus vaccine development. We will move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most."

By combining CEPI's funding and expertise in epidemic preparedness with Moderna's mRNA platform and manufacturing capabilities, the collaboration aims to accelerate the development of a potential vaccine that could help strengthen global readiness against future Ebola outbreaks.

"With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. "CEPI's urgent funding and support aims to advance safe, effective vaccines to help control this epidemic."

The current outbreak - declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the World Health Organization and Africa CDC, respectively - has already caused more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, making it the third largest Filovirus outbreak in history.

About Moderna

Moderna is a pioneer and leader in the field of mRNA medicine. Through the advancement of its technology platform, Moderna is reimagining how medicines are made to transform how we treat and prevent diseases. Since its founding, Moderna's mRNA platform has enabled the development of vaccines and therapeutics across infectious diseases, cancer, rare diseases and more.

With a global team and a unique culture, driven by the company's values and mindsets, Moderna's mission is to deliver the greatest possible impact to people through mRNA medicines. For more information about Moderna, please visit modernatx.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding: Moderna's expanded collaboration with CEPI and CEPI's investment; the ability to rapidly advance into large-scale Phase 2/3 trials; the potential for a vaccine against BDBV. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "could," "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna's control and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others, those risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Moderna's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna's current expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release.

Moderna Contacts

Media:

Chris Ridley
Vice President, Global Head of Communications
+1 617-800-3651
[email protected]

Investors:

Lavina Talukdar
Senior Vice President & Head of Investor Relations
+1 617-209-5834
[email protected]

SOURCE: Moderna, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(K.Jones--TAG)