Nucleotide pro-drug GS-5734, a broad-spectrum filovirus inhibitor, has been proven to offer total therapeutic protection from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) for primates in a study.
The high rates of deaths connected to the Ebola outbreak were partially due to a lack of effective antiviral therapies. Analysts conducted screenings for antivirals to treat Ebola, and GS-5734 (which is a pro-drug of adenine nucleotide analog) was a result.
The scientists ran in vitro activity tests of filovirus-infected human endothelial cells, macrophages and liver cells. They used PCR, quantitative GFP expression as well as immunostaining for the tests. With an LC/MS/MS and polymerase (pol) inhibition test, the scientists found the intracellular metabolism in biochemical assays.
The studies, which were blinded and placebo-controlled, involved rhesus monkeys that were infected with the virus and then given once-a-day treatments for the next 12 days with intramuscular (IM) or intravenous (IV) injection. The researchers then monitored the subjects for symptoms of Ebola.
The results showed that GS-5734 is the first small-molecule antiviral agent that shows robust therapeutic efficacy within monkey subjects infected with Ebola. Scientists are hopeful that GS-5734 can be further developed into treatments for Ebola as well as similar hemorrhagic filovirus infections.
