

Secret serum likely saved Ebola patients - kunle
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/04/health/experimental-ebola-serum/index.html

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forca
This substance should be identified, used to create a vaccine, and given to
all who are threatened or might be, by ebola, at no cost to them. Just the
human thing to do.

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daughart
There's nothing to identify - it's a serum containing three monoclonal
antibodies. These antibodies bind some viral proteins, preventing the virus
from infecting new cells and spreading. To my knowledge there's no path from
this to a vaccine, which prepares the human immune system to recognize and
fight viral infection itself. Unfortunately, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are
still very expensive to manufacture, distribute, and use as treatment for
disease, meaning this will not broadly impact outcomes in rural Africa
(barring advances in mAbs technology).

