Prof. Yotsuyanagi and Prof. Kawaoka of the University of Tokyo announcing the phase I clinical trial of iEvac-Z

Professor Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka and their colleagues at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo announced on April 5 that they will start Phase I clinical trials of the Ebola vaccine "iEvac-Z" at the hospital affiliated with the Institute this month. iEvac-Z is an inactivated vaccine made from mutant Ebola virus that lacks some of its genes. iEvac-Z is an inactivated vaccine produced from a mutant Ebola virus that lacks some of its genes, and is expected to be highly safe. The research team created a mutant virus that lacks the gene that makes VP30, a protein essential for the multiplication of the Ebola virus. Professor Yotsuyanagi said, "We can assume that there are side effects such as serious allergic symptoms that may occur in general, but nothing specific to iEvac-Z has been reported yet. We are planning to use it on people who are at high risk of infection" he explained. (= December 5, 2019, photo credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)