In the heart of devastating outbreak, research team unlocks secrets of Ebola

Yoshihiro Kawaoka

In the heart of devastating outbreak, research team unlocks secrets of Ebola

In a comprehensive and complex molecular study of blood samples from Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, published today (Nov. 16, 2017) in Cell Host & Microbe, a scientific team led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison has identified signatures of Ebola virus disease that may aid in future treatment efforts.

Conducting a sweeping analysis of everything from enzymes to lipids to immune-system-associated molecules, the team — which includes researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the University of Tokyo and the University of Sierra Leone — found 11 biomarkers that distinguish fatal infections from nonfatal ones and two that, when screened for early symptom onset, accurately predict which patients are likely to die.

With these results, says senior author Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virology professor at the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, clinicians can prioritize the scarce treatment resources available and provide care to the sickest patients.