SK bioscience, a vaccine manufacturer headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea, is partnering with biomedical research firm IAVI, Hilleman Laboratories, and IDT Biologika on development and manufacturing of a vaccine candidate targeting Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that causes Ebola disease. IAVI received an initial $36 million award from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) under a contract valued at up to $99 million.

The funding will support manufacturing of vaccine doses for clinical evaluation and outbreak response, a Phase 1 clinical trial, regulatory activities, and development of an updated candidate based on the viral variant responsible for the 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak, according to IAVI. The contract also includes options for expanded manufacturing to support future preparedness needs.

Under the program, IAVI will lead overall development, clinical activities, regulatory strategy, and engagement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hilleman Laboratories is expected to produce initial vaccine doses for clinical evaluation and support technology transfer for potential larger-scale manufacturing.

SK bioscience will lead manufacturing scale-up activities to generate vaccine supply, while IDT Biologika will handle fill-finish operations, according to the announcement. MSD will provide technical assistance to support manufacturing.

The program will use a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) platform. The partners are also working on an updated version of the vaccine candidate designed to match the Bundibugyo virus variant identified in the 2026 outbreak. The candidate is intended as a single-dose vaccine, although it has not yet been evaluated in humans, IAVI said.

The BARDA-supported work complements separate development activities funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). IAVI said the CEPI-supported work focuses on accelerating the development and manufacturing of vaccine doses for outbreak control and response, while the BARDA program also addresses manufacturing readiness and potential stockpile supply.

The collaboration brings together vaccine development and manufacturing organizations with distinct roles. In June, SK bioscience announced a UNICEF supply agreement for approximately 640,000 doses of its cell-culture influenza vaccine.