Ebola Vaccine

A chimpanzee cold virus was made to carry the Ebola genetic material, which puts protection against the Zaire strain of Ebola. It was effective for a bit in monkeys. Economics delayed the progress, and prior outbreaks were monitored by tracing and quarantining the sick. Those with the disease are the ones who are unable to pay for treatment. A shift in changes caused the trials to begin next year. “The unprecedented scale of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has intensified efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines,” said renowned infectious disease researcher Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The institute is producing the vaccine in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. Recent events, however, changed the timelines and trials are scheduled to begin next year. “The unprecedented scale of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has intensified efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines,” said renowned infectious disease researcher Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The institute is producing the vaccine in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. In September, the first phase of the trial was tested on 20 volunteers. Two people came up with mild fevers, but no one got seriously ill. Within four weeks, all were producing Ebola antibodies.

Half of the group received a dose ten times bigger than the others. This resulted in greater antibody concentrations. The researchers were keen to see hints of CD8 T immune cells as well. We know from previous studies in non-human primates that CD8 T cells played a crucial role in protecting animals,” said first author Dr. Julie Ledgerwood. The vaccine is not triggering CD8 T-cell production on a reliable basis, but seven of those on the higher dose and two on the lower started producing the cells, Ledgerwood reports in The New England Journal of Medicine. This trial was created in order to give protection against the Zaire strain that is currently affecting West Africa. Some of the participants just produced antibodies against one or other strain, but the majority had shown repsonses to both. Phase 1 human trials are also in the works for two other vaccines targeting Zaire Ebola.