Antibody fights hemorrhagic fever virus in animals

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An engineered antibody studied as a cancer treatment is effective in animals against the virus that causes Lassa fever, findings that could apply to a range of deadly viruses, researchers said on Monday.

The antibody-based drug, Tarvacin, is designed to bind to phospholipids, a type of fatty acid compound usually found on the inner surface of cell membranes, that have turned inside-out.

That configuration occurs in cells that are “stressed” by certain diseases, said Dr. Philip Thorpe, professor of pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and an author of the study.

In a preclinical trial, half of the guinea pigs lethally infected with the virus that causes Lassa fever, a fatal hemorrhagic fever, survived when also treated with Tarvacin, while none of the untreated animals survived.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the drug’s maker Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., also found that the surviving guinea pigs did not show any signs of viral infection several months after treatment. And they were immune to the virus when reinfected with it, Thorpe said.

Tarvacin may work by binding to the virus and delivering it to cells that drive the body’s own immune response, he said.

Other “enveloped” viruses besides Lassa include HIV, Hepatitis B and C, West Nile and SARS, he said. The common cold and polio viruses do not have outer envelopes, according to the investigator.

Tustin, California-based Peregrine is awaiting final U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a phase 1 trial of the drug in patients with solid cancer tumors.

Joe Shan, the company’s director of clinical and regulatory affairs, said approval for the cancer trial is expected soon and Peregrine also plans to seek FDA clearance for a phase 1 anti-viral trial.

The NIH has agreed to a collaboration to test Tarvacin against a number of viral pathogens, potentially including herpes viruses, respiratory viruses, pox viruses and others, the company said.

The anti-viral study results were presented at a meeting of the American Association of Immunologists in San Diego. 

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