Russian virologist on an effective way to defeat Ebola
Ebola Winners Make Medicine for Others
"Since there are many survivors who have recovered from Ebola, we have a great opportunity to recruit human immunoglobulin," Chepurnov believes. – When a person is sick, his immune system organizes a response of two types. Humoral consists in the appearance in the blood serum of immunoglobulins (antibodies) specifically directed against the causative agent of the disease. The second part is cellular immunity, this is the appearance in the blood of specific immune cells targeted against the pathogen. Cells remain for a long time, they form an immunological memory, and immunoglobulins, after a person has recovered, gradually decrease in number.
People cured of Ebola are a very valuable base to use. Of course, all of them, with the exception of a few people, are in Africa, where the blood is infected with HIV, hepatitis C and who knows what else. But in the process of processing the serum to isolate immunoglobulins, it is cleared of any infectious agents. The output is a normal pure preparation of immunoglobulins that are directed against the Ebola virus.
Why did we once make an immunoglobulin preparation from animals? In Sergiev Posad, horses were made immunoglobulin, and we in Vector – goats. Because there was no source of human immunoglobulin – the blood serum of a person who had Ebola. The use of a drug from animals has the disadvantage that when it is administered, a person may have reactions to a foreign protein. It was possible to use such a drug only once. We used it in accidents with the virus for emergency prevention."
In 2004, when a laboratory assistant was infected with the Ebola virus at the Vector Research Center, she was injected with goat immunoglobulin, but it did not help her because it happened to her for the third time and antibodies to a foreign protein accumulated in the body.
"On the other hand, the immunological drug ZMapp, which is used to treat the current epidemic, is a bioengineered humanized ("humanized") immunoglobulin," Chepurnov continues. – And at first it was the only way out when there was no source of human serum. And now there should be at least a thousand cured. It is necessary to buy their serum, send it to different countries, to those institutions that can work with it, and make an immunoglobulin preparation.
In addition to Vector, we can connect the Institute of Vaccines and Serums – they have it all worked out well. And in this way, you can get drugs, then, of course, they are checked for safety. That is, all this is technically worked out and absolutely not difficult."
Alexander Chepurnov explained to the newspaper.Ru", what is the difference when using vaccines and immunoglobulins. "The vaccine is prevention, and immunoglobulins can be used not only for emergency prevention, but also for treatment," the virologist stressed. – Even when the vaccine appears, we will not vaccinate everyone. It can be used for doctors, for travelers who will go to Africa. But in order to treat, some kind of active therapy is needed.
In the 80s, there was a case of laboratory infection in England, at the center for work with especially dangerous infections. And even then, experts used a human serum, and the man survived.
Immunoglobulin preparations can be dried and stored for many years as a reserve. At least, the goat immunoglobulins that we made in Vector were functional after 15 years of storage.
To create some biotechnological drugs for treatment, we still have to work and work, but here everything is almost ready. The preparation of human immunoglobulins can be administered many times, there will be no conflict, since all antigens from the serum are removed. It's not very clear why it still doesn't run. At least I have not heard such news from my colleagues in the USA. I am trying to popularize this method, but so far I have not been successful. And I would like to see this done in Russia as well."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru24.10.2014