Successful trial of Ebola vaccine on monkeys. Could Africa see hope for the future?
Thursday August 7, 2003
Scientists have created a single shot vaccine for the ebola virus which had amazing results when tested on monkeys the BBC News World Service reports.
Ebola is just one of several haemorrhagic fevers which are found in Africa (for more information see this BBC News article) To date there is no known cure, and standard anti-viral therapies have no effect. If you are going to survive ebola it is because your body is strong enough to do so.
The Washington Post* has a different slant on this story. Since the vaccine has been developed by scientists in the US it is more likely to be added to the country's arsenal of biological weapon defences than to be used for humanitarian or animal conservation causes. Anthony Fauci (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "In terms of what we need for countermeasures against terrorism, it's highly significant."
Serious investment in the US into creating an ebola vaccine only arrived after 'Sept 11' when the risk to US citizens from terrorist biological weapons was mooted.
The vaccine was created by two groups of scientists working together. A unit under Fauci, working at the National Institute of Health (NIH) had some success with a multi-part vaccine which took several months to mature in the body – research continues with this. The other group, scientists at the Frederick Research Institute, part of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases which looks for both cures and military applications, had limited success with a vaccine for rodents. Combining their research expertise, the two teams met with apparent success.
One further problem remains for the scientists. In creating the vaccine they genetically modified an otherwise benign adenovirus. This method of vaccination has been praised for its ability to target a virulent virus, but it is likely that only one such shot would ever work for an individual – so should it be used to create a vaccine against ebola, or one of the other forms hemmaragic fever, or perhaps for AIDS?
* Unlike the BBC News service, the Washington Post requires personal information from viewers before it allows access to its pages. You may not get directly to a WashingtonPost.com page if you have not already 'signed up' with the service.
Ebola is just one of several haemorrhagic fevers which are found in Africa (for more information see this BBC News article) To date there is no known cure, and standard anti-viral therapies have no effect. If you are going to survive ebola it is because your body is strong enough to do so.
The Washington Post* has a different slant on this story. Since the vaccine has been developed by scientists in the US it is more likely to be added to the country's arsenal of biological weapon defences than to be used for humanitarian or animal conservation causes. Anthony Fauci (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "In terms of what we need for countermeasures against terrorism, it's highly significant."
Serious investment in the US into creating an ebola vaccine only arrived after 'Sept 11' when the risk to US citizens from terrorist biological weapons was mooted.
The vaccine was created by two groups of scientists working together. A unit under Fauci, working at the National Institute of Health (NIH) had some success with a multi-part vaccine which took several months to mature in the body – research continues with this. The other group, scientists at the Frederick Research Institute, part of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases which looks for both cures and military applications, had limited success with a vaccine for rodents. Combining their research expertise, the two teams met with apparent success.
One further problem remains for the scientists. In creating the vaccine they genetically modified an otherwise benign adenovirus. This method of vaccination has been praised for its ability to target a virulent virus, but it is likely that only one such shot would ever work for an individual – so should it be used to create a vaccine against ebola, or one of the other forms hemmaragic fever, or perhaps for AIDS?
* Unlike the BBC News service, the Washington Post requires personal information from viewers before it allows access to its pages. You may not get directly to a WashingtonPost.com page if you have not already 'signed up' with the service.
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