But Dr Rossman said that more research funding will need to be made available to develop these new drugs. He commented: ‘Western Africa is currently experiencing the world’s worst documented outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, with over 1200 suspected cases and 672 deaths. Presently there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for Ebola infection and current medical practice is limited to quarantine and supportive care.
‘Since Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 there has been much research aimed at understanding how the virus works and how it causes disease. However, this research has yet to translate into any licensed treatments because research on Ebola virus is hindered by safety concerns and a broad lack of funding.
‘Despite these limitations, there are currently several vaccines that have been developed that may prevent infection or mitigate the disease if given post-exposure. There are also multiple new therapeutic agents in various stages of development, including a treatment from the Canadian company Tekmira that has been undergoing initial human safety trials in the US.
‘With additional research funds, it is likely that we will have several vaccines or therapies available to treat Ebola virus infections in the decade to come. These treatments may not completely cure the virus, but it may be possible to significantly reduce the loss of life in a future outbreak.’
For more information please contact Dr Rossman, who is a Lecturer in Virology within the University’s School of Biosciences.