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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhen Will We Have a Vaccine for Ebola Virus?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-will-we-have-a-vaccine-for-ebola-virus1/The deadly Ebola outbreak in west Africa highlights the urgent need for a vaccine, and researchers say one may be available in a few years
Jul 29, 2014 |By Annie Sneed
The latest outbreak of Ebola virus in west Africa is the worst everas of Monday, it had infected more than 1,200 people and claimed at least 672 victims since this spring. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone all have confirmed cases. An official at Doctors Without Borders has declared the outbreak as totally out of control, according to NBC News. Unfortunately, doctors have no effective vaccines or therapies. Health care workers can only attempt to support patients immune systems (regulating fluids, oxygen levels, blood pressure and treating other infections) to help the afflicted fight off the virus as best they can.
A vaccine to help battle future Ebola outbreaks may be just a few years away, however. During the past decade researchers have made significant progress, and vaccines have worked in nonhuman primates. But it has been hard to raise money for human safety tests. To learn about the latest advances as well as obstacles, Scientific American spoke to Thomas Geisbert, a virologist in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Hes studied the Ebola virus since 1988 and is currently involved in vaccine research and development.
(an edited transcript of the interview follows.)
<snip>
Can you give an estimate for when we might have an effective Ebola virus vaccine?
My guess is anywhere from two to six years. I hate to say this, but it really depends on financial support for the small companies that develop these vaccines. Human studies are expensive and require a lot of government dollars. With Ebola, theres a small global markettheres not a big incentive for a large pharmaceutical company to make an Ebola vaccine, so its going to require government funding.
I would like to see a situation where we tried to advance our lead candidate vaccines as fast as we can to get phase I studies done. I think we should start with the first respondersthe health care workers in areas of high risk. This outbreak is so unique because its occurring in an area weve never seen it before and also because it seems theres a higher percentage of medical staff infected than weve seen before. Ive seen all of these vaccines work in numerous animals and Ive never seen an adverse event from them. I appreciate the safety concerns but it would be great if there were some way to fast-track this. People are being exposed to Ebola and theres a 60 to 90 percent chance theyre going to dieI think we have to look at it in this context.
DocwillCuNow
(162 posts)Drug-resistant malaria has spread to critical border regions of Southeast Asia
Date:
July 30, 2014
Source:
Wellcome Trust
Summary:
Drug-resistant malaria parasites have spread to critical border regions of Southeast Asia, seriously threatening global malaria control and elimination programs.
BUT on a happier note, I remember reading this a week or so ago.... and it made me smile at the genius of some dedicated medical researchers.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Breakthrough-in-fight-against-AIDS-scientists-delete-HIV-from-human-cells/articleshow/38875772.cms
LONDON: Scientists have for the first time ever "deleted" HIV from human cells, marking a major breakthrough in fight against AIDS.
Once HIV conquers a human cell, it stays there forever. The virus inserts its deadly genome permanently into the victims' DNA, forcing patients to be hooked on drugs for life.
But now, for the first time, researchers have found a way to eliminate latent HIV-1 virus from human cells and this could be a cure for other latent infections.
Now, a team of Temple University School of Medicine researchers has designed a way to snip out the integrated HIV-1 genes for good.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)So long as it is an African problem the whole world shrugs its shoulders. Now maybe the latest developments will wake the world up because Ebola does not care what color you are.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)When White People become afraid of it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5331594
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"When White People become afraid of it?" There is no need to inject race into this serious issue.
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Squinch
(51,004 posts)Thanks for the results.
kentauros
(29,414 posts)News in Brief Science & Technology World health disease ISSUE 5030 Jul 30, 2014
?5623
CONAKRY, GUINEAWith the death toll in West Africa continuing to rise amid a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, leading medical experts announced Wednesday that a vaccine for the deadly disease is still at least 50 white people from being developed. While all measures are being taken to contain the spread of the contagion, an effective, safe, and reliable Ebola inoculation unfortunately remains roughly 50 to 60 white people away, if not more, said Tulane University pathologist Gregory Wensmann, adding that while progress has been made over the course of the last two or three white people, a potential Ebola vaccination is still many more white people off. We are confident, however, that with each passing white person, were moving closer to an eventual antigenic that will prevent and possibly even eradicate the disease. Wensmann said he remained optimistic that the vaccine would not take considerably longer than his prediction, as waiting more than 50 white people for an effective preventative measure was something the world would simply not allow.
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)A vaccine was already being developed. It isn't easy to whip up a vaccine for a virus so deadly and rare.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)I hate to say this, but it really depends on financial support for the small companies that develop these vaccines. Human studies are expensive and require a lot of government dollars. With Ebola, theres a small global markettheres not a big incentive for a large pharmaceutical company to make an Ebola vaccine, so its going to require government funding.
When enough people have enough fear it will create a large enough market that more money and effort will be thrown at the problem perhaps resulting in a vaccine. I never said it would be easy. Just that the market does not exist yet. Fear creates the market. The fact that most of the people getting it now make an annual salary of about 20 bucks just might play into it a bit too.
IDemo
(16,926 posts)The USA will launch an early-stage trial in September of an experimental vaccine against Ebola, the deadly viral disease that has killed 729 people in the largest outbreak in history.
The National Institutes of Health has been developing an Ebola vaccine for several years that has had "encouraging results" in primates, says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci said he's working with the Food and Drug Administration to fast track the vaccine into a phase 1 clinical trial this fall. This type of trial is the earliest study in humans and aims to make sure that drugs are safe and show some efficacy.
Results from the study should be available by January, Fauci said. If the vaccine proves safe and effective, Fauci said he expects that it could be given to health workers in affected African countries sometime in 2015.
"We are starting to discuss some deals with pharmaceutical companies to help scale it up, so on an emergency basis, it might be available in 2015 for health workers who are putting themselves at extreme risk," Fauci said.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/31/ebola-vaccine-trial/13404609/
Avalux
(35,015 posts)The infrequent and limited Ebola epidemics thus far have made Ebola unattractive for drug companies; there simply isn't a big enough health threat, by the numbers, for their investment. So yes there are scientists out there who are doing independent work but need the $$ for the clinical studies and subsequent regulatory approval. That has to come from government grants.
While this is an unfortunate reality for Ebola vaccine development - infectious diseases research in general is way underfunded. The public should be screaming for a government initiative dedicated to new antibiotic development. We keep creating cousins of those already in our arsenal, bacteria are figuring it out. Just a matter of time until they win if we don't stay one step ahead.
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)to BSL level 4 labs. There are like 10 or 12 labs in country capable of handling organisms like Ebola and not a lot of people that can do the work.
A disease like Ebola is one of the main reasons we need a well funded CDC and public research. Private companies are never going into this game.
scientists in BSL level labs develop the compounds, then if something looks promising in pre-clinical work, big pharma will take over for human clinical trials and then own the drug if approved. I know of no drug or vaccine that is not owned by a pharmaceutical company.
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)The real money isn't spent until the compound goes into clinical trials. If pharma is going to get involved it will be on a publicity/humanitarian/orphan drug angle. Nobody will ever make a dime off of an Ebola vaccine.
This will be a biotech/small drug company consortium with the Governement, not big pharma, the money will not be there.
spanone
(135,873 posts)DocwillCuNow
(162 posts)sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)and specialized researchers needed to operate them don't make sense for pharma either financially or from a liability perspective. Any Ebola vaccine will have to come from a publicly financed situation.
djean111
(14,255 posts)The US has given a contract to Tekmira for developing the vaccine, I believe.
My prediction is that we will all be required to take a vaccine that Monsanto/Tekmira develop, Monsanto will make billions, other vaccines may be declared unsuitable or made unavailable, there will be immunity granted for side effects and/or inefficacy of the vaccine, and we will all be guinea pigs.
This is based on my experience as an American citizen.
good call, sounds about right
CAG
(1,820 posts)foothold in the U.S.? Can you name another example of a vaccine that is recommended by the CDC for U.S. citizens that has not been a significant threat to U.S. citizens? Polio, measles, mumps, tetanus, diphtheris, pertussis, HPV, pneumococcus, hepatitis, rotavirus, rubella, haemophillus?
Varicella vaccine was fairly recent and was somewhat controversial to prevent chickenpox and the implications for potentially causing an increased incidence of shingles down the road, but hardly could be considered a corporate conspiracy.
HPV had a bunch of controversy from the right because they didn't believe their good little boys and girls could EVER have premarital sex.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
djean111
(14,255 posts)will monitor incoming overseas passengers for the signs of Ebola, when Ebola has a three week period before symptoms appear.
I think it is a given that Ebola will be here. Ebola will kill you.
Shingles won't kill you, nor is it transmitted to others.
Hey, maybe I am wrong! I hope so, but I doubt it.
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)is more therapeutic than vaccine oriented but anything they can produce will be well used.
pansypoo53219
(20,995 posts)and science keeps trying to foil mother nature. of course crapitalism is killing our anti-biotic cures. so maybe nature wins.
davidn3600
(6,342 posts)-Rachel Carson
Response to pansypoo53219 (Reply #11)
Warren DeMontague This message was self-deleted by its author.
davidn3600
(6,342 posts)A vaccine might not work on all strains.
We are having a hard enough time trying to figure out HIV which effects far more people than Ebola.
Response to davidn3600 (Reply #15)
Warren DeMontague This message was self-deleted by its author.