Ebola Killer

A study published in the journal ‘PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases’ reveals that the drugs used to treat HIV can also be used to inhibit Ebola virus, which is transmitted between individuals through infectious body fluids. Until today, there is no vaccine or treatment available for Ebola.

Researchers for their research used human cells and a model infection system to compare eight different drugs in different combinations, at different doses and at times, post–exposure. After the screening, they identified Interferon beta as the most potent inhibitor of Ebola. The drug is now an important part of a clinical trial of individuals who were infected with Ebola during the recent outbreak in Guinea.

According to the researchers, this method has been used for the first time in a standard open laboratory to identify and test promising anti–Ebola drugs. They believe it will increase the possibility of finding new therapies faster. Moreover, they claimed that the method and technology used in this study could be used by most laboratories.