Staff Writer
An experimental treatment for the Ebola
virus called ZMapp has claimed 100% effectiveness in animal trials. The drug,
under development by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, is the latest in a series of
“cocktails” that contain several different antibodies that work together to
combat the virus. In an animal trial on 21 rhesus monkeys infected with Ebola,
all 18 of the monkeys given the ZMapp drug made a full recovery, while the 3 in
the control group died.
The monkeys had been infected with Ebola
five days prior to when they were given the treatment and were already showing
severe bleeding, rashes, and the early stages of liver failure. Three weeks
after being treated with ZMapp, the monkeys showed no symptoms of the infection,
and their blood contained no traces of Ebola.
The ZMapp drug is composed of a series
of proteins called antibodies that are designed to fight the Ebola disease in
humans. The antibodies work by attaching themselves to the virus, preventing
them from entering and infecting cells and marking them for destruction by the
immune system.
The antibodies are made by injecting
mice with pieces of the Ebola virus, causing their bodies to begin developing
natural antibodies. The antibodies are then extracted and genetically modified
to function in humans, a process called “humanization.” In order to mass
produce the antibodies, the genetic information required to make the antibodies
is inserted into tobacco crops, which can be easily harvested.
A few doses of ZMapp were given to some
of the hospitalized Ebola victims in a final effort to save their lives. Two
American missionaries and a few Liberian healthcare workers made a full recovery
after being given the drug, but two others given the drug died.
While scientists say the drug shows
great promise for treating the victims of the recent epidemic, due to its
experimental status and low availability, it is not expected to help the over 2,000
people now thought to be infected with the deadly virus.
