New Pitt research finds groundbreaking antibody to prevent severe bird flu in monkeys
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As avian influenza concerns soar and scientists search for ways to ground the virus, researchers have found new hope for preventing severe illness from bird flu.
University of Pittsburgh, and National Institutes of Health researchers shared promising results on a groundbreaking antibody treatment they gave to monkeys.
"It's called MEDI8852. It's one of a class of broadly neutralizing antibodies, which means that it's able to neutralize all sorts of types of influenza in the dish," said Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes, professor of infectious diseases, and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Barrat-Boyes said the preventative antibody treatment performed 'beautifully' in warding off severe H5N1 avian flu infections in the monkeys. The findings were published in 'Science.'
"We found that animals that received an irrelevant antibody suffered from severe disease and pneumonia and fatality. But animals that receive MEDI8852 had negligible respiratory problems and were protected from severe disease," said Barrat-Boyes.
"We can actually protect these animals from severe pneumonia, which is, hasn't really been achieved before," he added.
The H5N1 avian flu has infected not just wild birds in the U.S., but other animals too. One strain has been infecting cattle, poultry, and cats. Another newer strain infected dairy cows for the first time this week.
Barratt-Boyes said influenza viruses can mutate.
"The outbreak that we're seeing at the moment is really the first time avian flu has been able to infect mammals. What we really don't want to see happen is that the avian influenzas are able to transmit from human to human readily," he said.
Barratt-Boyes said the type of antibody they used can withstand the possible emergence of virus variants.
"That would be effective against really unknown influenza viruses at the moment and avian influenza and probably others that develop. Because this antibody and others like it, these broadly neutralizing antibodies are very good at crossing and protecting against different strains," he said.
The scientists also determined how much antibody needed to be in the serum to be successful in preventing serious illness and death in the monkeys.
"At the amounts we gave, you could give this antibody eight weeks prior to being exposed to avian flu and that individual would be protected," Barratt-Boyes said.
So, what do these findings mean for humans?
"Given the similarities between monkeys and humans and the nature of the disease in those two. It really means that protection from an unforeseen influenza pandemic is achievable in humans," Barratt-Boyes said.
He said the antibody has already passed safety tests in humans. He hopes their promising research lays the groundwork for a universal flu vaccine.
"The ultimate goal really is to generate a vaccine, to have a vaccine that generates the same kind of antibody response. So that people could get immunized repeatedly and have this antibody in them that they're making on their own," said Barratt-Boyes.
"This has been quite a leap forward to show that it's able to work in a model that's very similar to a human," he added.
