Protective monotherapy against lethal Ebola virus infection by a potently neutralizing antibody

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aad5224
• Publication Date: 2016-02-26T04:23:35Z
• Authors: Davide Corti; John Misasi; Sabue Mulangu; Daphne A. Stanley; Masaru Kanekiyo; Suzanne Wollen; Aurélie Ploquin; Nicole A. Doria-Rose; Ryan P. Staupe; Michael Bailey; Wei Shi; Misook Choe; Hadar Marcus; Emily A. Thompson; Alberto Cagigi; Chiara Silacci; Blanca Fernandez-...; Laurent Perez; Federica Sallusto; Fabrizia Vanzetta; Gloria Agatic; Elisabetta Cameroni; Neville Kisalu; Ingelise Gordon; Julie E. Ledgerwood; John R. Mascola; Barney S. Graham; Jean-Jacques Muye...; John C. Trefry; Antonio Lanzavecchia; Nancy J. Sullivan
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Clinical Trials as Topic; Molecular Sequence Data; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola; Antibodies, Viral; Ebolavirus; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Disease Outbreaks; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; Humans; Macaca; Female; Survivors

Antibodies block Ebola virus entry

The recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa illustrates the need for both an effective vaccine and therapies to treat infected individuals. Corti et al. isolated two monoclonal antibodies from a survivor of the 1995 Kikwit outbreak and demonstrated their therapeutic efficacy in Ebola virus–infected macaques. In fact, one antibody protected macaques when it was given up to 5 days after infection. Misasi et al. solved the crystal structures of fragments of the two antibodies bound to the Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), which mediates viral cell entry. The two antibodies targeted different regions of GP, but in both cases blocked steps required for viral entry.

Science , this issue pp. 1339 & 1343