Scientists have developed a new medication that in one dose successfully protects nonhuman primates against a lethal infection of all strains of the deadly Ebola virus. The findings are available today in Cell Host & Microbe.
Dr. Thomas Geisbert, a world-renowned Ebola researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said that previous therapeutics typically were of the “one bug, one drug” variety. But because of the unpredictable nature and variety of the Ebola virus, scientists have been seeking a way to protect against all the different strains.
“Our experimental drug can protect against all forms of Ebola known to harm people, suggesting that it will continue to protect people if the Ebola viruses evolve over time,” Geisbert says.
The team of scientists demonstrated that a two-antibody cocktail called MBP134 could fully protect nonhuman primates and ferrets against lethal Ebola virus infections caused by the Bundibugyo and Sudan strains. It also protected against the deadly Zaire strain that caused the 2013–2016 epidemic in West Africa as well as the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We were able to protect the nonhuman primates against all the Ebola species plaguing people at a single low dose,” says Larry Zeitlin, president of Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. “Further studies exploring even lower doses could open the door to treatment via auto-injectors like the kind used for allergic reactions. The ability to quickly and efficiently provide protection against all Ebola viruses in a single dose would reduce the burden on health care workers in the field during outbreaks, especially in regions that have a less-developed infrastructure.”