Integral Molecular gets funding to advance development of Ebola antibodies

The funding will be used for the study to discover antibodies against Ebola virus and identify how they prevent Ebola virus infection, allowing to develop Ebola therapeutics and vaccines.

The current funding by NIAID, part of National Institutes of Health (NIH), follows an initial five-year $3.5m contract to study the immune response to Ebola and Hepatitis C viruses.

In the study, the firm will involve in research to identify how different antibodies bind to the viral surface and to correlate these with anti-viral protection.

The results from the study, including the immune response generated by patients who survive a deadly Ebola virus infection, will serve as basis to develop vaccines and curative therapies for Ebola virus disease.

Currently, the firm has obtained around 100 antibodies against Ebola virus, including a large collection isolated from a survivor of the 2014 outbreak in West Africa.

The firm had mapped about 300 novel antibody binding sites on the surface of viral pathogens, over the last seven years.

The studies are being carried out in collaboration with Vanderbilt Vaccine Center director Dr James Crowe.

Integral Molecular CEO Benjamin Doranz said: "Our 15 years of experience with pathogenic viruses including Dengue, Chikungunya, Hepatitis C, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, HIV, and Ebola, has expanded our understanding of how antibodies protect against these viruses.

"This recent support from NIH validates our approach, allows us to broaden the scope of our studies, and will provide new insights that will result in improved therapeutics and vaccines against Ebolaviruses."