Courtesy of EUREKAALERT, we share this Update on EBOLA Virus
Disease
'PUBLIC RELEASE: 7-MAY-2018
New breakthrough paving the way for universal Ebola
therapeutic
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON
CREDIT: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON
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The trouble with ZMapp is that although it is effective
against the Ebola species that was largely responsible for the last Ebola
outbreak, it does not neutralize other Ebola species, including Ebola
Bundibugyo, Reston or Sudan," said virologist Alex Bukreyev, co-senior
author and a University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston professor in the
department of pathology. "We identified and studied three
naturally-occurring antibodies from human survivors of Ebola Bundibugyo that
neutralize and protect against infection with the several different Ebola virus
species."
The newly identified antibodies bond at a different site on
the Ebola virus than other antibodies currently used to develop Ebola
therapies.
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GALVESTON, Texas -A new collaborative study has identified
and studied Ebola antibodies that could be used to design universal
therapeutics that are effective against many different Ebola species. The
findings were recently published in Nature Microbiology.
The Ebola virus causes a severe illness with high mortality
rates in humans. Several strategies have been developed to treat Ebola
infection, including ZMapp, which has been shown to be effective in non-human
primates and has been used under compassionate-treatment protocols in humans.
"The trouble with ZMapp is that although it is
effective against the Ebola species that was largely responsible for the last
Ebola outbreak, it does not neutralize other Ebola species, including Ebola
Bundibugyo, Reston or Sudan," said virologist Alex Bukreyev, co-senior
author and a University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston professor in the
department of pathology. "We identified and studied three
naturally-occurring antibodies from human survivors of Ebola Bundibugyo that
neutralize and protect against infection with the several different Ebola virus
species."
The newly identified antibodies bond at a different site on
the Ebola virus than other antibodies currently used to develop Ebola
therapies.
Information on the Ebola virus:
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Ebola was
first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Since then, the virus has been infecting people from time to
time, leading to outbreaks in several African countries.
Some of the different kinds of Ebola viruses are:
· Ebola
virus (Zaire ebolavirus)
· Sudan
virus (Sudan ebolavirus)
· Taï
Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus)
· Bundibugyo
virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus)
· Reston
virus (Reston ebolavirus), known to cause disease in nonhuman primates and
pigs, but not in people’
Africa Center for
Clin Gov Research & Patient Safety
@ HRI West Africa Group - HRI WA
Consultants in Clinical Governance Implementation
Publisher: Health and Medical Journals
8 Amaku Street Housing Estate, Calabar
Cross River State, Nigeria
Cross River State, Nigeria
Phone No. +234 (0) 8063600642
Sounds promising.
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