Can Ebola Virus Vaccines Have Universal Immune Correlates of protection?
Michelle Meyer1, Delphine C Malherbe1, Alexander Bukreyev2
1Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract:
Testing vaccine efficacy against the highly lethal Ebola virus (EBOV) in humans is almost impossible due to obvious ethical reasons and the sporadic nature of outbreaks. For such situations, the 'animal rule' was established, requiring the product be tested in animal models, expected to predict the response observed in humans. For vaccines, this testing aims to identify immune correlates of protection, such as antibody or cell-mediated responses. In the wake of the 2013-2016 EBOV epidemic, and despite advancement of promising candidates into clinical trials, protective correlates remain ambiguous. In the hope of identifying a reliable correlate by comparing preclinical and clinical trial data on immune responses to vaccination, we conclude that correlates are not universal for all EBOV vaccines.
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