Vaccine Against Ebola: Has The Search Finally Ended?

Since the first outbreak of Ebola Virus (EBOV) in 1976, over 20 outbreaks have been documented. The last devastating outbreak occurred in 2013-2016 in Western Africa that killed approximately 11,000 people. Active search for an effective vaccine or treatment against EBOV has been underway for a long time and the search has proven to be immensely challenging. However, according to two recent reports published in the prestigious journal, Cell Host And Microbe, a newly developed monoclonal antibody (mAB) cocktail known as MBP134 has been shown to be effective against EBOV in the animal model (monkey). In the first study, Dr.

Kartik Chandran and his group modified the mAB and showed that the modified antibody had cross-reactivity against the Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus as well, thus making it effective against 3 different kinds of viruses. In the second study, Dr. Zachary A. Bornholdt…