A Pan-Ebolavirus Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Provides Protection Against Ebola and Sudan Viruses

Abstract

Filoviruses, including ebolaviruses and marburgviruses, can cause severe and often fatal disease in humans. Over the past several years, antibody therapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of filovirus disease. Here, we describe 2 distinct cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from mice immunized with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based filovirus vaccines. Both mAbs recognized the glycoproteins of multiple different ebolaviruses and exhibited broad but differential in vitro neutralization activities against these viruses. By themselves, each mAb provided partial to full protection against Ebola virus in mice, and in combination, the mAbs provided 100% protection against Sudan virus challenge in guinea pigs. This study identified novel mAbs that were elicited through immunization and able to provide protection from ebolavirus infection, thus enriching the pool of candidate therapeutics for treating Ebola disease.