"Secret" Serum the Cure for Ebola?

a reply to: TotalProtonicReversal

The serum is 19 years old. The reason it's "secret" or all of a sudden is because it's field experiment. The FDA doesn't generally approve injecting the blood of African Ebola survivors, or using the serum of people who are fighting the virus better than others. Those are the two treatments. They have probably advanced them a little bit since they started using them in 1995 when 90 percent of the ebola patients were dying.

They are probably more effective in these cases for two reasons; they are getting top notch healthcare (and Brantley was still about to die), and this is a weaker version of the Zaire strain than the one used to create the serum/that the survivors blood had.

20 year old treatment

originally posted by: drwill
a reply to: NavyDoc
A serum, correct? But could be made into a vaccine?

No, probably not, because the virus evades the immune system a good while until you are really close to dying. Only after you've looked into the abyss do you earn those antibodies. So rather than stimulating antibodies they have to transfer them over with sera. It was common before vaccines.

a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

I'll defer to your superior knowledge on this subject. And no that's not sarcasm.

originally posted by: GogoVicMorrow

originally posted by: drwill
a reply to: NavyDoc
A serum, correct? But could be made into a vaccine?

No, probably not, because the virus evades the immune system a good while until you are really close to dying. Only after you've looked into the abyss do you earn those antibodies. So rather than stimulating antibodies they have to transfer them over with sera. It was common before vaccines.

But if they have antigen proteins, the could develop a vaccine from that. Vaccines either use a "dead" virus or it's component parts that express unique proteins or an attenuated version of the virus to stimulate the immune system so that when it "sees" the actual virus, it already recognizes it as foreign and already has an antibody compliment for it.

True, a vaccine does not work after infection, but before said infection.

Is this serum the same thing as him getting a transfusion from 14 year old survivor or something in addition?

Had he been in the US it would be illegal to use this on him because it is not FDA approved. So is this a scheme to work around the long and expensive FDA approval process?

Will they allow him to continue to receive this unapproved serum now he is state side if he needs more?

originally posted by: GogoVicMorrow
I guess it's secret... if using blood from people who survived Ebola just like they have done for decades is secret.

It's just a little hard to come by in Africa, the person has to have survived Ebola and be have blood clean of other pathogens, and agree to have their blood taken (something an ebola survivor is probably hella suspicious of).

The other patient was given another decades old "secret" using sera from infected people recovering in hopes there are active antibodies.

They did this 19 years ago.

Story

All true. Use of sera to combat an existing infection has been around for a long time, as far back as the building of the Panama Canal and Walter Reed's work against yellow fever. It has been used against Hep B and Herpes as well.

originally posted by: Xeven
Is this serum the same thing as him getting a transfusion from 14 year old survivor or something in addition?

Had he been in the US it would be illegal to use this on him because it is not FDA approved. So is this a scheme to work around the long and expensive FIA approval process?

Will they allow him to continue to receive this unapproved serum now he is state side if he needs more?

Yes, a transfusion would contain the antibodies but a whole host of other things as well. When we speak of "serum" we usually are referencing the liquid that contains the antibodies but with the other blood products removed.

No, I don't see this as an end-run against the FDA, but rather an emergent opportunity to test the serum.

a reply to: NavyDoc

I wondered when you would appear to calm the fires on the "OMG WERZ GONNA DIEZ" crowd.

I see you got this thread covered.

Is this the serum by the way they been developing since 2001/2002? I remember reading a paper years ago they were on to something.

Found this interesting!

Convalescent serum is being used currently in Zaire to treat patients.
After a dipstick test for HIV, the serum is transfused into new cases; so
far, 7/8 receiving such transfusions have survived Ebola, in contrast to
only 1/10 expected to survive without treatment.

Source

It worked and it worked within hours. Dr Brantly showed signs of improvement with a half hour. a reply to: Trueman

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

What worked? Dr Brantly did NOT take the serum.

From what I understand it was just days ago. Right before they decided to evacuate these two. o reply to: Bilk22

Dr Brantly was on the verge of death. Why is everything a lie?y reply to: TotalProtonicReversal

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
It worked and it worked within hours. Dr Brantly showed signs of improvement with a half hour. a reply to: Trueman

Hopeful, but we will see. Often multiple infusions of serum are needed to fully defeat the infection.

originally posted by: crazyewok
a reply to: NavyDoc

I wondered when you would appear to calm the fires on the "OMG WERZ GONNA DIEZ" crowd.

I see you got this thread covered.

Is this the serum by the way they been developing since 2001/2002? I remember reading a paper years ago they were on to something.

That's my understanding.

If you were on the verge of death would you take a medicine that had never been tested on humans? Me? I would. At that point what have you got to loose right?

originally posted by: NavyDoc

originally posted by: Hellas

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: drwill

Posted this in the thread after this which will probably be shut down.

If this was done last week, why did they fly that US doc back here for treatment?

There was only one dose of this magic serum and our American hero declined it so the lady can be saved.

In my opinion neither had Ebola. It's just a nice fairy tale to sell the new vaccine. Which will be a killer like the bird flu vaccine

It's not a vaccine.

no but it's the first step to one.

Because it hasn't been tested on humans. Human trials were actually scheduled for this September. a reply to: drwill

So did you want them to stop off at your house first. So you could verify they have Ebola?n reply to: Hellas

OMG that is so "conspiracy theory"... You don't honestly believe that do you? I've seen my share of crazy on this site to be sure. Not saying you're crazy. o reply to: TotalProtonicReversal