Ebola Survivor’s Antibodies Stop All Strains of the Virus, Study Finds

Admittedly, I am not a Doctor, and I know very little about Ebola other than it is very deadly, but I came across this twitter today.

Previously unknown antibodies were found in an Ebola patient that seemingly arrest the spread of the Ebola Virus.

Ebola . . . plays a nasty trick on the immune system, infiltrating cellular components normally used to sort and digest food and waste, known as endosomes and lysosomes. There, it’s able to hide from most antibodies that the body produces. Within this space it undergoes a change in shape that allows it to unload its genetic material and take over the cell.

Researchers have now identified two antibodies from the blood of a survivor in West Africa that foils Ebola’s hide-and-shift act. These antibodies inactivate all five strains of the virus, including the three that have caused disease outbreaks in humans. The antibodies work by preventing the virus from binding to a critical protein within endosomes known as NPC1. If the Ebola virus cannot bind to this receptor, then it cannot replicate and continue its spread.

These antibodies act like Trojan horses, tagging along with the virus into the endosome . . . Ebola’s shape-shifting process is akin to an “undressing,” where it removes proteins coating its exterior that allow it to evade the immune system. Once the virus changes shape, the antibodies bind to it, even more tightly than before its change.

They've tested it in mice, and the next step will be to test it on non-human primates. While the antibodies are not a vaccine in itself as of yet, they do hold promise as a treatment for those who have Ebola by arresting the virus. And, as of yet, they do not "cure" anything, but they have been observed to essentially arrest and prevent Ebola from multiplying.

“If the described antibody turns out to be protective in non-human primates this will certainly be a candidate for a prophylactic vaccine for humans which could be given…to health care personnel shortly before they are deployed to an Ebola virus outbreak,” . . . “This would be especially important if the exact Ebola virus species causing the outbreak is not known.”

Additionally, it seems to act on and arrest at least five (5) known strains of the virus.

Newsweek
Link to Study (paid article)

I thought Ebola is a biological weapon.

Why do they want a cure?

Is this person someone who had an active case of the disease or simply someone who survived being exposed to it?

In every population, there are people who are going to be naturally immune.

That is part of the treatment that was used in the cases that were flown in to Emory Hospital.

a reply to: Gothmog

If that's the case, then it's part of the body's defense mechanism. The downside is that you have to survive Ebola. The upshot is that if they can figure out how to provoke your body into producing that response without giving you Ebola, then they should have a very effective vaccine.