UTMB researchers identify possible Sudan ebolavirus treatment

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) released a study on Monday showing the successful treatment of monkeys infected with Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) several days after infection.

Scientists have known about SUDV and Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) since 1976, with EBOV being the most common cause of outbreaks and the focus of nearly all treatment research since. EBOV was the primary cause of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015. It remains unclear whether any EBOV treatment would be successful against SUDV infections.

UTMB researchers began testing a new antiviral drug intravenously with rhesus macaques using a lipid non particle platform (LNP), an RNA-based therapeutic. The therapeutic can target specific genes to prevent viruses from replicating, providing advantages to doctors compared to contemporary treatments. The study compared 48 different RNA-based drug formulations, with the most effective formulation preventing replication of the SUDV viral protein 35. Researchers then tested the formulation in six macaques that were given a lethal SUDV dose. While all infected monkeys showed signs of the disease, all six of the monkeys recovered after receiving a small-interfering RNA therapeutic within four days of infection. Two of the four animals survived after being treated five days after infection.

Researchers are continuing to investigate the therapeutics to determine the next steps of treatment development.

Funding for this study was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).