What lies beneath: Structural features that confer pan-ebolavirus activity

The continuum of antibody epitopes on the GP waist viewed from the top (left) and side (right).  Site A includes the conserved hydrophobic pocket beneath the GP2 tail recognized by Adi-15878. Antibodies interacting with epitopes in Sites A-C are more likely to cross-reactive.  Only one naturally occurring human antibody, ADI-15878, is currently known that can … Continued

Another facet of Antibody-Mediated Protection: Fc-Driven Immune Effector Function of Antibodies Against Ebola Virus Glycoprotein

Antibodies targeting the Ebola virus glycoprotein that lack neutralization activity can nonetheless offer protection by promoting activation of natural killer (NK) cells and monocyte phagocytosis.  (from Gunn et al. Cell Host Microbe https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.07.009) In a companion publication to the Saphire et al.Cell manuscript published online in Cell Host Microbe on August 7, 2018 Gunn et … Continued

VIC Study Reveals the Importance of a Two-Pronged Attack to Prevent Ebola Virus Infection

VIC researchers analyzed features for each of 171 monoclonal antibodies in the VIC panel to define correlations between antibody characteristics and ability to offer protection (Graphical abstract from Saphire et al. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.033)   In their paper published online on August 9, 2018 in Cell the VIC describes findings from a multi-year study conducted on … Continued

Fort Detrick Researchers Seek Key to Ebola Virus

Dr. John Dye, a VIC collaborator, investigates the mechanism behind the ability to survive Ebola virus infection in Uganda.  Travelling to Uganda and collecting samples directly from Ebola survivors allows him to analyze the different physiological mechanisms that have enabled these individuals to survive while many others have perished.  This research contributes to our understanding of … Continued

VIC Selected as Classy Awards Finalist

The Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium, or VIC, has been named a Classy Awards Finalist—one of the 100 most innovative nonprofits and social enterprises of 2016! Classy Awards Finalists are a prestigious group of nonprofits and social enterprises selected for their excellence in social innovation and ability to solve a social problem. This year, the … Continued

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Experimental Immunotherapy Zaps Two Most Lethal Ebolaviruses

First Step Toward All-Inclusive Treatment – Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have engineered the first antibodies that can potently neutralize the two deadliest strains of the virus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The findings, made in mice, are a significant step toward immunotherapies … Continued

VHFIC scientists identify novel antibodies against Marburgviruses

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) identifies new antibodies that protect against deadly Marburg virus, which along with Ebola virus are two of the multiple filoviruses that cause deadly disease in humans. The research, published in the journal PloS Pathogens, provides components needed to develop treatments for future outbreaks. … Continued

Ebola Outbreak: 21,296 cases and 8,429 deaths reported worldwide

The first reported case in the Ebola outbreak ravaging west Africa dates back to December 2013, in Guéckédou, a forested area of Guinea near the border with Liberia and Sierra Leone. Travellers took it across the border: by late March, Liberia had reported eight suspected cases and Sierra Leone six. By the end of June … Continued

WHO publishes series of 14 papers looking at West Africa Ebola outbreak

One year after the first Ebola cases started to surface in Guinea, WHO is publishing this series of 14 papers that take an in-depth look at West Africa’s first epidemic of Ebola virus disease. This assessment looks at how West Africa’s epidemic of Ebola virus disease has evolved over the past year, giving special attention … Continued