KAMPALA, Uganda — Dei BioPharma has announced the submission of a utility patent application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a next-generation mRNA vaccine platform designed to provide broad protection against the world’s most dangerous Ebola-causing viruses.
The patent application seeks protection for an inoculation targeting all primary ebolaviruses strains responsible for major human outbreaks including: Zaire ebolavirus, also referred to as Ebola virus, including the West African/Makona lineage associated with the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic; Sudan ebolavirus, also known as Sudan virus; and Bundibugyo ebolavirus, also known as Bundibugyo virus. The broader ebolavirus family also includes Taï Forest ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus and Bombali ebolavirus, which are referenced in the scientific landscape of filovirus preparedness.
According to the officials of the Ugandan based biotech firm, the U.S. filing describes engineered consensus and mosaic ebolavirus glycoprotein antigens formulated in lipid nanoparticles, together with production, formulation and administration methods intended to support rapid response during outbreaks.
The patent application includes 24 distinct claims covering antigen design, mRNA delivery matrices, lipid nanoparticle formulations, manufacturing workflows, dosing regimens and clinical-use scenarios for outbreak response, frontline-worker protection and occupational prophylaxis.
“For decades, ebolavirus preparedness has been approached as a challenge requiring separate vaccines for separate viral threats,” said Dr. Matthias Magoola, Founder of Dei BioPharma. “Our innovation challenges that paradigm by using rational antigen engineering to pursue broad protection against the most consequential outbreak-causing ebolaviruses. This has the potential to transform Ebola preparedness globally, especially for African nations where these viruses pose the greatest threat.”
The filing comes during a renewed international focus on Ebola preparedness following the World Health Organization’s determination that the current Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO reported that the outbreak was caused by Bundibugyo virus, confirmed in May 2026, and noted that there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic against Bundibugyo virus disease.
Currently approved Ebola vaccine options, including ERVEBO, are indicated for prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus only. The CDC states that ERVEBO does not provide protection against other species of orthoebolaviruses, while the FDA lists ERVEBO as a vaccine for prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 12 months of age and older.
Dei BioPharma said its platform is intended to address this gap by targeting conserved surface epitopes shared among the major outbreak-causing ebolaviruses. The technology uses two antigen-design strategies: consensus antigens, which are derived from sequence alignments that identify common amino-acid patterns across viral strains, and mosaic antigens, which combine natural sequence segments from different ebolaviruses to preserve native protein folding while expanding immune coverage.
According to the firm, the resulting mRNA is encapsulated in clinical-grade lipid nanoparticles similar to delivery systems used in modern mRNA vaccines. Dei BioPharma said this approach is intended to support rapid scaling, standardized production and compatibility with established cold-chain distribution systems.
Dei BioPharma has indicated it is preparing for a transition into Phase 1 human trials and is targeting a regulatory pathway that could support conditional approval within 48 to 60 months from the start of development.
Dei BioPharma, which describes itself as operating under an African-centered scientific framework, said its corporate mission is to develop medicines and vaccines for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect resource-limited environments.
Nearly all major human Ebola outbreaks have originated in sub-Saharan Africa, where wildlife reservoirs and human-animal exposure create recurring spillover risks. The 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which began in Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, remains the largest Ebola outbreak recorded, with more than 28,600 infections and 11,325 deaths reported by WHO.
Dr. Magoola said previous Ebola interventions have been slowed by limited vaccine availability and strain-specific protection. He argued that Africa needs regionally anchored vaccine platforms capable of responding to Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo and related ebolavirus threats without waiting for external supply chains during public health emergencies.
The biotech firm said the project forms part of a broader Dei BioPharma pipeline of mRNA and protein-based vaccines targeting filoviruses, arenaviruses and other emerging zoonotic pathogens.
Under its current 60-month development plan, Dei BioPharma intends to file an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to support Phase 1 trials in healthy volunteers. The company said the baseline trials will assess safety, tolerability and dose selection, with proposed dose levels ranging from 5 to 30 micrograms of mRNA per injection.
Phase 2 trials are expected to evaluate expanded demographic groups, while Phase 3 studies would assess immunogenicity markers, including neutralizing antibody responses. Dei BioPharma said it will pursue regulatory mechanisms that could support accelerated review if clinical and immunogenicity data are favorable.
To support eventual deployment, Dei BioPharma said it is engaging contract manufacturing organizations for clinical and commercial production, with projected capacity of 5 million to 10 million doses per year following conditional licensure. Dei BioPharma said the current formulation is designed for stability at minus 20 degrees Celsius for up to 24 months and at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for six to 12 months.
The firm said procurement, stockpiling and deployment discussions are being pursued with global and regional health partners, including WHO, CEPI, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and African ministries of health.
Dr. Magoola said Dei BioPharma plans to apply equitable tier-pricing frameworks during active outbreaks and to use the company’s manufacturing facility at Mattuga, near Kampala, to strengthen regional supply security.
“This is not only a scientific milestone,” Dr. Magoola said. “It is a step toward African technological self-determination in epidemic preparedness. Africa must not only receive vaccines during crises; Africa must help design, manufacture and deploy them.”
