Broadly acting antibodies found in plasma of Ebola survivors
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - 14:20
in Health & Medicine
Recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks highlight the need for licensed treatments. ZMapp, an experimental therapy, has shown promise in a clinical trial, but targets only one of five known species of Ebola virus. Now scientists have discovered powerful, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in the blood of EVD survivors. In animal studies, two of these antibodies provided substantial protection against disease caused by the three species known to cause fatal human illness.