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Human Testing Begins Of Ebola Vaccine In Md. Lab

TORONTO, Canada (AP/WJZ)-- Clinical trials for an Ebola vaccine will be tested on humans in a Maryland laboratory Monday.

The experimental Canadian-made vaccine showed promise in tests on primates.

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The vaccine will be tested on healthy individuals Monday to see how well it works, whether there are side effects and what the proper dosage is, Canadian Health Minister Rona Ambrose said.

Studies in primates have shown this vaccine works both to prevent infection when given before exposure and to increase survival chances when given quickly after exposure.

A small Iowa-based company called NewLink Genetics holds the license for the vaccine and the trials are set to begin in a lab in Maryland. Ambrose said the results are expected in December.

NewLink said earlier this month that at least five clinical trials involving the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, would soon be underway in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and in an unnamed African country that is not battling Ebola.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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