Ebola researchers test blood as a possible treatment
The hunt is on for a safe, effective treatment for the Ebola virus, which has claimed over 11 000 lives so far in the ongoing epidemic in West Africa – and still affects Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
That’s around a 40% death rate among the 27 600 victims identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of July 2015. Fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in outbreaks since Ebola was first identified in 1976.
In response to the current outbreak, the largest on record, WHO has issued methodological and ethical guidelines to help medical researchers fast-track development of promising treatments.
Among those taking up the challenge is the EU-funded project EBOLA-TX, which is conducting a clinical trial in Conakry, Guinea, to test whether blood plasma from convalescents – individuals who have recovered from Ebola – could be used to treat victims. The plasma is being given alongside the approved care for Ebola victims – mainly rehydration and pain alleviation.
The trial is taking place at the Donka Ebola Treatment Centre run by Médecins sans Frontières, a project partner along with WHO. In line with WHO guidance, the project has administered the plasma treatment to 102 Ebola patients. The project is using plasma from blood donated by Ebola survivors.
“An important finding up to now was that this has been very safe, with no severe adverse reactions noted,” says project coordinator Johan Van Griensven of Belgium’s Institute of Tropical Medicine. “Whether the treatment is also effective will only be known after in depth analysis has been done. We will share this information as soon as possible.”
The promise of plasma
Plasma is the pale yellow fluid that you can see when blood is separated into its constituents. When taken from Ebola survivors it contains high levels of antibodies that can block the virus. By giving patients convalescents’ plasma, the project is trying to boost their immune systems, bring the disease under control and increase their chances of survival.
The use of antibodies contained in the blood of recovered patients is a well-established technique that has been used for several other infectious diseases, tetanus for example.
Proof that the EBOLA-TX therapy works in a clinically relevant way would require an absolute decrease in the fatality rate by 20% or more compared to patients who only received standard care, explains Van Griensven.
If found to be effective, the plasma treatment can be scaled-up relatively rapidly as the trial would provide the information required to mobilise local partners, with major public health implications, he adds.
“This is important, since this is an intervention that can be organised by the affected countries, without reliance on the shipping of commercial products, which are – in the case of Ebola – often in short supply,” he says. “We have to await the final results to see to what extent it is also effective. If effective, this study would provide the proof of concept of using convalescent blood products – or antibody based therapy more generally – in controlling Ebola.”
On 5 September 2014, WHO urged the international community to find ways to speed up research into new treatments and vaccines against Ebola. In response, the EU quickly mobilised €24.4 million to fund five projects – including EBOLA-TX – investigating treatments for Ebola.
The European Commission’s Innovative Medicines Initiative has also made €215 million available for Ebola research. Research funding is also available through the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.
