Study Vaccine Protects Monkeys Against Four Types of Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Study Vaccine Protects Monkeys Against Four Types of Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Study Vaccine Protects Monkeys Against Four Types of Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses

NIAID-funded scientists have developed an investigational vaccine that protected monkeys against four types of hemorrhagic fever viruses endemic to overlapping regions in Africa. The newly published study describes how the vaccine was created using a weakened vesicular stomatitis virus to deliver proteins that elicit protective immune responses. The proteins are from Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Marburg virus and Lassa virus. Importantly, the monkeys infected in the study were exposed to different strains of Sudan virus and Lassa virus than those in the candidate vaccine, which helped the researchers determine that the vaccine was cross-protective. The researchers want to further evaluate whether a single-dose quadrivalent vaccine appears safe and effective. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and Profectus BioSciences of New York are developing and testing the candidate quadrivalent VesiculoVax vaccine, with support from NIAID and Redeemer’s University in Nigeria.