The Cross-Border Biotech Blog

Fans of bad horror films will know that Ebola and other hemorrhagic viruses are definitely something to be avoided. For those not in the know, infection by Ebola begins with flu like symptoms but leads to mortality in 90% of cases. While outbreaks are thankfully rare, the inability to determine the natural maintenance host of the 4 Ebola disease causing viruses, its endemic state in certain geographical regions and the potential threat from its use as a terror weapon means that it is the subject of some substantial research efforts. However, its classification as a biosafety level 4 agent means that studies on the virus can only be carried out in only a small number of facilities worldwide. Hence this week’s research comes from a different centre than we normally cover in the Friday Science Review – the Special Pathogens Program at the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the operator of Canada’s only biological safety level 4 lab (BSL-4).

Their paper in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases evaluates the protective efficacy of 8 different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against Ebola’s surface glycoprotein in preventing lethal Ebola infections in mice and guinea pigs. All 8 of the mAbs were able to protect mice against lethal Ebola virus challenge when administered within 1 day. However, these mAbs were only able to achieve partial protection for guinea pigs under the same conditions, indicating that a sole agent therapeutic targeted at the surface glycoprotein of the virus might not be possible. Encouragingly, administering combinations of 3-4 of the antibodies was able to provide significant protective effects even if administration was delayed by up to 3 days. This study demonstrates a potential therapeutic for post-exposure treatment of Ebola virus infections, something that is sorely lacking to date.

Other Publications:

• Superoxide dismutase is dispensable for normal animal lifespan. PNAS. McGill University
• Genetically determined P2X7 receptor pore formation regulates variability in chronic pain sensitivity. Nature Medicine. McGill University
• Deconstruction of the SS18-SSX Fusion Oncoprotein Complex: Insights into Disease Etiology and Therapeutics.Cancer Cell. University of British Columbia