Virologist Available to Discuss How Tests and Treatments Could Be Developed for Rare Ebola Strain

As a rare strain of Ebola spreads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, public health teams are facing a major challenge: Unlike the better-known Zaire Ebola virus, the Bundibugyo virus behind this outbreak has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Care is currently limited to supportive measures, making rapid detection, isolation and development of new countermeasures critical.

Bob Garry, PhD, a Tulane University virologist who has spent decades studying hemorrhagic fever viruses and developing diagnostics, antibody therapies and vaccines, is available to discuss what it would take to create rapid tests and treatments for Bundibugyo Ebola.

Garry worked in Sierra Leone during the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, where his team sequenced the virus, developed diagnostic assays and helped conduct a major clinical study of Ebola patients. Garry said the current outbreak is “reminiscent” of West Africa in 2014 because it appears to have spread before being detected.  

“Plenty of work has been done to research Bundibugyo virus tests and treatments. We already have the reagents necessary to produce a test, so it wouldn’t take long with the right people brought together,” Garry said. “As far as a treatment, it would take longer, maybe months, to scale up the needed monoclonal antibodies.”  

Garry is available to discuss:

  • The types of diagnostics and treatments that could be developed 
  • The research conducted on Bundibugyo diagnostics and treatments 
  • The development of Zaire Ebola treatments after the 2014 outbreak
  • Why Bundibugyo Ebola lacks a vaccine and treatment options 
  • Why delayed detection can allow Ebola outbreaks to grow quickly 

To schedule an interview, please contact Andrew Yawn, assistant director of media relations at Tulane University, at ayawn@tulane.edu.