There is currently no approved cure or vaccine for Nipah virus, a deadly bat-borne virus that can be fatal in up to 75% of cases. However, promising developments, including trials of a PSI-developed vaccine candidate, are underway to combat this devastating virus.
PSI’s Nipah Virus Research Day 2025 spotlighted the breadth of research across the Institute aiming to improve the ability to respond to Nipah virus outbreaks, focusing on the translation of cutting-edge insights into new tools and bringing together researchers from across PSI and the University of Oxford, as well as external collaborators.
Keynote speaker Dr Manuela Mura from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) spoke on the pathways to vaccine licensure for emerging pathogens, and the day included updates on clinical trials of the ChAdOx1-Nipah B vaccine, developed by PSI scientists, which after undergoing its first in-human trials in Oxford received early support from the EMA this summer. The World's first Phase II trial for a Nipah virus vaccine launched in December 2025 in Bangladesh using the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine.
Promega kindly sponsored the research day, and described their latest technologies and products adapted to support Nipah virus research. The day also included updates spanning the latest insights into host-pathogen interactions, the isolation and identification of anti-Nipah virus monoclonal antibodies, development of diagnostic tests and discussion of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) Target Product Profiles for Nipah Diagnostics, and analysis of Nipah outbreak policy responses and coverage in the media.
Professor Sir Peter Horby, Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute commented “PSI’s mission is to discover, create, and enable practical solutions to infection disease threats worldwide. The Nipah virus research day is the latest example of how we are harnessing our combined multidisciplinary strengths to improve our response to outbreaks and save lives”.
The programme included space to reflect on the actions generated by a workshop September 2025. The workshop marked a new approach for PSI, with experts from across the Iinstitute focusing on the tools and resources PSI can offer in response to outbreaks, identifying challenges in deploying developmental tools in outbreak situations, and subsequently developing a roadmap which will set the future direction of Nipah virus research in PSI and outline a coherent set of actions designed to improve the Iinstitute’s readiness to tackle future outbreaks.
Given the cross-cutting nature of the Institute’s research, this approach will act as a blueprint for other pathogen families, driving the coordination of diverse research across PSI and the wider university.