Huge development in the fight against Ebola

A research team that included scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered a new group of powerful antibodies to combat Ebola.

According to LA Times, the antibodies in questions were isolated from a survivor of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Given this, researchers are hopeful that this new development might lead to the development of a vaccine against Ebola.

Previous studies out of TSRI and other institutions have identified several weak points in the structure of the Ebola virus. Such weak points can be exploited by antibodies, which would in turn eradicate the virus itself.

A small number of anti-Ebola options were chosen and developed over a long period of time. The immune system needs a long window of time in order to produce the right antibodies, the ones that can exploit the weak points of the virus.

Several antibody “cocktails” were concocted and developed to combat these weak points.

“We identified three highly protective antibodies that each targeted a different site — or epitope — on the Ebola virus glycoprotein,” said the study’s first author Zachary Bornholdt.

Because of the success of the antibody treatment, researchers could potentially quickly utilize this new development to design a treatment for Ebola.

Additionally, given the optimistic outlook for a primary treatment, supplemental, secondary treatments may also be developed as a result of the new antibody discovery. These secondary treatments would used in the event that the Ebola virus mutates to escape the primary treatment.