Scientists Tackle Deadly Ebola Virus with Two Experimental DNA Vaccines

Scientists may have come up with a way to tackle the deadly Ebola virus. They've created two experimental DNA vaccines to prevent Ebola and the closely related Marburg virus that are not only safe, but generated a similar immune response in healthy Ugandan adults as reported in healthy U.S. adults earlier this year.

"This is the first study to show comparable safety and immune response of an experimental Ebola vaccine in an African population," said Julie Ledgerwood, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is particularly encouraging because those at greatest risk of Ebola live primarily in Africa, and diminished vaccine protection in African populations has been seen for other diseases."

In the phase 1 trial, the researchers enrolled 108 adults between the ages of 18 and 50 from Uganda. Each volunteer was randomly assigned to receive an intramuscular injection of either the Ebola vaccine, Marburg vaccine, both vaccines or placebo.

In the end, the researchers found that the vaccines given separately and together were safe and stimulated an immune response in the form of neutralizing antibodies and T-cells against the virus proteins. In addition, four weeks after the third injection, just over half of the volunteers had an antibody response to the Ebola Zaire protein.

"These findings have already formed the basis of a more potent vaccine, delivered using a harmless chimpanzee cold virus, which is undergoing trials in the USA, UK, Mali and Uganda in response to the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak."

The findings could be huge when it comes to combating the Ebola virus. Eventually, researchers may just have the vaccine needed to prevent the deadly virus's spread.

The findings are published in the journal The Lancet.

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