Researchers have identified a new antibody providing potential protection against Marburg and Ebola, according to Medical News Today.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., discovered the molecular structure used by the Marburg virus to attach itself to and enter host cells.
2. Studies have found various "cocktails" of antibodies able to raise an alarm to the immune system to block the Ebola virus from entering new cells. Researchers have recently begun looking for similar approaches to fight the Marburg virus.
3. Researchers from Scripps found some success in identifying antibodies effective against one site on Marburg. The study was conducted in association with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
4. The team created proteins eliciting new antibodies effective against other sites of the virus.
5. Researchers found a site not seen in previous studies. Antibodies that targeted the new site proved effective at protecting 90 to 100 percent of the mice in the study from lethal infection.
6. The antibodies utilized in the study also showed to be effective against Ebola and four viral relatives.
7. Marnie Fusco, the first author of the study, stated Marburg and Ebola are likely to gain new mutations so the antibodies could be used as diagnostics for new emerging strains.
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