The Ebola virus, which causes Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), affects humans with serious illness and often leads to death. Our company specializes in providing comprehensive services for the development of vaccines and therapies against EVD.
Introduction to Ebola Virus Disease
The Ebola virus disease is categorized as life threatening and the reason for it is attributed to the Ebola virus which is in the family of Filoviridae. The first outbreak of this virus occurred in 1976 and affected Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the same time. There is no cure for EVD as it progresses very rapidly and has a very high mortality rate which in some cases even reaches up to 90 percent. The initial signs of the virus are noticeable, manifesting as - fever, headache including nausea, muscle pain and wearing out feeling. The latter stages result in intestinal disruption and uncontrollable bleeding.
Fig.1 Ebolavirus structure indicates various proteins and the genes that code for them. (Jacob S. T., et al., 2017)
Vaccine Development for Ebola Virus Disease
The last several years have witnessed a flurry of successful endeavors around the world aimed at developing EVD vaccine. Several types of vaccines are being explored:
- Nucleic Acid Vaccines: This group includes RNA and DNA vaccines that transfect cells with nucleic acids encoding specific immunogenic viral proteins, hence causing an immune response; there is no requirement for live or inactivated microorganisms.
- Vector Vaccines: These vaccine types utilize vesicular stomatitis virus as a carrier of genes derived from the Ebola virus which induces the body to mount a protective response against the actual virus.
- Protein-Based Vaccines: These consist of purified viral proteins designed to stimulate the immune system but will not cause the disease in the vaccinated person.
- Virus-Like Particles (VLPs): VLPs are non-infectious because they do not contain any genetic material but they are structurally similar to the virus and therefore they have the ability to induce an immune response.
Table 1 Research status of candidate vaccines for Ebola virus disease. (Baseler L., et al., 2020)
| Candidate vaccine(s) |
Vaccine design |
Status |
Trial |
| rAd26 ZEBOV-GP and MVA-BN-Filo |
Human adenovirus (Ad) 26 vector with impaired replication capabilities expressing the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV); Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) from Bavarian Nordic (BN) with disabled replication abilities expressing the glycoproteins of Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Marburg virus (MARV), and Taï Forest virus (TAFV). |
Phase I |
NCT02313077 |
| rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also known as BPSC-1001 and V920) |
Replication-competent recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSIV) expressing the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV) instead of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. |
Phase I |
NCT02283099 |
| rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also known as BPSC-1001 and V920) |
Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSIV) is capable of replication and expresses the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV) in lieu of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. |
Phase I/II |
NCT02287480, conducted in Switzerland |
| rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also known as BPSC-1001 and V920) or ChAd3-EBOZ |
A recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSIV) capable of replication and expressing the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV) instead of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein; as well as a ChAd3 vector expressing the EBOV GP. |
Phase II |
NCT02344407, also known as PREVAIL I, conducted in Liberia292 |
| rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also known as BPSC-1001 and V920) |
A replication-competent recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSIV) that expresses the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV) instead of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. |
Phase II/III |
NCT02378753, also known as STRIVE, conducted in Sierra Leone |
| rAd26 ZEBOV-GP and MVA-BN-Filo |
A replication-defective human adenovirus 26 vector that carries the gene for the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV); and a replication-incompetent modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) from Bavarian Nordic (BN) expressing the glycoproteins of EBOV, SUDV, MARV, and TAFV. |
Phase III |
NCT02509494, also known as EBOVAC-Salone |
| rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also known as BPSC-1001 and V920) |
A replication-competent recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSIV) expressing the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV) instead of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. |
Phase III |
NCT02503202 |
| rAd26 ZEBOV-GP, MVA-BN-Filo and rVSV ∆G-ZEBOV-GP |
A replication-defective human Ad 26 vector expressing the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV); a replication-incompetent MVA-BN vector expressing the glycoproteins of EBOV, SUDV, MARV, and TAFV; and a replication-competent rVSIV vector expressing the Ebola virus glycoprotein in place of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. |
Phase III |
NCT02543268 and NCT02876328, also known as PREVAC, conducted in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali |
Therapeutics Development for Ebola Virus Disease
Scientific Approaches to Therapies
- Antiviral Drugs: Small molecules capable of preventing viral replication; remdesivir is one example and has worked well on animals.
- Immunotherapies: Involves the use of monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma from recovered patients to strengthen the immune response.
Notable Therapeutic Advances
- ZMapp: Combination monoclonal antibodies used for treatment of EVD has shown effectiveness in very few areas.
- REGN-EB3: A triad of monoclonal antibodies that were found to be promising in increasing the chances of survival in cases during clinical trials.
Our Services
Our company is focused on offering a comprehensive range of services with regards to the design and tailoring of Ebol Virus Disease vaccines. We guarantee a strong framework for the designing, testing, and enhancement of vaccine candidates as well. We commit ourselves to propagate further understanding of EVD and develop good therapeutic solutions by employing cutting edge technologies and methodologies.
Disease Models
- Mouse-Adapted Ebola Virus (MA-EBOV)
- Collaborative Cross (CC) Mice
- Syrian Golden Hamsters Infection EBOV Models
- Outbred Duncan-Hartley and Inbred Strain 13 Guinea Pigs
- Nonhuman Primate (NHP) EBOV Models
Preclinical research is a cornerstone of our operations. We conduct rigorous in vitro and in vivo studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential vaccines and therapies. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.
References
- Baseler, Laura, et al. "The pathogenesis of Ebola virus disease." Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease 12.1 (2017): 387-418.
- Jacob, Shevin T., et al. "Ebola virus disease." Nature reviews Disease primers 6.1 (2020): 13.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
