Common strain: New Russian Ebola vaccine has proven its potential
The Russian Ebola vaccine forms immunity against the Bundibugio strain, tests on artificially created models of the virus conducted at the Gamaleya Center have shown. In case of interest from African countries where the outbreak of the deadly infection continues, the developers are ready to continue research on the live pathogen. Currently, negotiations on cooperation are underway between the Ministries of Health of Russia and DR Congo, but it is too early to talk about specific agreements. The Bundibugio vaccine is being developed in other countries as well. The success of the Russian development could strengthen the country's influence on the African continent, experts say.
Russian Ebola Vaccine Trials
A new Russian Ebola vaccine forms an immune response and protects against the Bundibugio strain that caused the current outbreak in Africa, tests conducted at the N.F. Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology have shown. Denis Logunov, director of the scientific organization, told Izvestia about this.
— We made vaccine producers and showed their immunogenicity and protectivity in surrogate tests for simplified versions of the virus. They correlate well with the virus itself and were the first step towards proving that the vaccine is effective," the expert said.
For further work on the vaccine, only a fundamental decision on the need for the drug is needed. It will also take the same pathogen that is currently circulating in Africa to provide definitive proof.
— In the end, we need a pathogen that we are protecting against. It depends on how the strain appears in the Russian Federation. If Africa really shows interest and is ready to transfer it, then everything is ready for research at the Gamaleya Center," Denis Logunov added.
As Andrey Prodeus, the chief children's allergist and immunologist at the Moscow Region Ministry of Health, explained to Izvestia, in order to prove the ability of the new vaccine to form immunity against a disease that developers do not have at their disposal, they are making an artificial model of it. For this purpose, a surrogate created in the laboratory is used, with which it is possible to check the formation of antibodies and specific cells.
— A model of the virus is being created with those parts of it against which antibodies should be produced. If the genomic sequence of the virus is known, then certain protein regions can be synthesized. Such tests show with a high degree of probability that there will be an immune response to them," said the doctor.
The largest Ebola outbreak
The outbreak of Ebola continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, caused by the Bundibugio strain, for which there is no specific treatment yet. According to the latest data, 3,075 people were infected with the fever and 1,354 of them died. According to the results of computer simulations conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the epidemic may become the largest in history. Now the outbreak of 2014-16 is considered to be the most widespread, when more than 11 thousand people died.
According to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the actual number of cases may exceed official figures.
"To date, more than 2,500 cases of the disease have been registered. However, since the lack of security and the ongoing active conflict limit access to the affected areas, it is assumed that the actual number of cases may be more than twice as high," he wrote on the social network.
Izvestia sent a request about the interest in the Russian vaccine to the Embassy of our country in the DRC. They reported that negotiations on cooperation in the field of health protection are currently underway between the Ministries of Health of the two countries, in particular, work is underway to coordinate the text of the draft relevant memorandum of understanding.
"Until the completion of the relevant interdepartmental procedures, we consider it premature to comment on possible areas of practical cooperation," the diplomats said.
The Bundibugio vaccine is being developed not only in Russia. On July 13, Oxford University announced the start of clinical trials of its drug. The first stage will evaluate the safety and immune response of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years. According to the developers, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals, further clinical trials are possible in partnership with medical organizations from Africa.
Russian vaccine will strengthen the country's position in Africa
While the West is diligently refusing to cooperate with Russia, it is especially important for Moscow to strengthen its influence in other regions, including the countries of the Global South. The development of a Russian Ebola vaccine could be an important contribution both to strengthening the state's position and to fighting the disease, Vsevolod Sviridov, an expert at the HSE Center for African Studies, explained to Izvestia.
— If we develop it first, it will be great, but it's more important to pursue efficiency rather than first place. Especially considering that Russia is not so actively represented in Africa when compared with competitors in terms of studying local diseases, the number of laboratories, scientists and researchers," the expert said.
Among the main rivals are the United States, the European Union, China and India, which have more extensive opportunities for conducting field research. At the same time, of course, the Russian Federation also has experience working in the region and its own network of biological laboratories, including projects by Rospotrebnadzor. In the future, the successful development of a vaccine could give Moscow not only a scientific, but also an image effect — to show the country's contribution to ensuring the security of African countries.
However, creating a vaccine is only part of the task, Vsevolod Sviridov emphasized. It is equally important to establish its supplies to African countries. The expert noted the Russian Sputnik V, which showed high efficiency, but at the same time faced difficulties in entering foreign markets. Therefore, if our country expects to strengthen its position in Africa, the issues of production, logistics and delivery of the drug also need to be thought out in advance.
The World Health Organization could help Russia in this.: She does not create vaccinations herself, but forms international recommendations for their use, evaluates the effectiveness of drugs and helps African countries to organize vaccination. At the same time, in the Ebola vaccine race, WHO focuses not on manufacturer competition, but on the availability and effectiveness of drugs. According to the organization itself, the decisive factor is not the country of origin of the drug, but the test results and the ability to arrange supplies locally.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
