Ebola Virus Question

[Karl Fischer]

In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960101104302.21795A-100000 at netinfo.ubc.ca>,
brunstei at UNIXG.UBC.CA (John Brunstein) wrote:

<A good deal of primo material snipped for brevity...sniff>

> It would probably just be simpler, though, to clone and express a
noncytotoxic > epitope from the virus and  use that as a vaccine...again,
though, we have the > problem of who's going  to volunteer to have the
vaccine tested on them.  

A paucity of very good points John...though I don't see the problem with
the vaccine testing unless you are moving straight into the most dreaded
of all phenomenon....challenge with Ebola Zaire/Sudan!!!! (I would insert
a "Run for your lives!" but that is a bit too reactionary this early in
the new year;-).

Immunization with a prospective immunogenic/protective peptide(s) could be
evaluated in terms of humoral response or cytotoxic response via cell
systems expressing Ebola antigens....these would have to be done even
before challenge experiments are designed, never mind performed.

Bottom line, an evaluation of B and T cell epitopic responses to peptidic
"maps" of Ebola antigens before testing their protective capabilities
(infectivity neutralization assays, animal challenge experiments).

Cheers

Karl the hepB guy

-- 
Karl Fischer
tyr-2 at bones.biochem.ualberta.ca