Washington: The US plans to provide $50 million in funding to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop medical countermeasures to target the rare strain of Ebola responsible for the current outbreak in Africa, the State Department announced in a statement on Friday.

According to Emirates News Agency, the funding will support laboratory studies and clinical trials, as well as manufacturing for medical countermeasure candidates for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. This new investment brings the State Department's total direct funding of the Ebola response to $270 million.

CEPI has stated that it has already committed over $60 million to support a portfolio of four vaccine candidates under development and is evaluating other options to further combat the outbreak.