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Published on: February 7, 2019
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Marburg Virus Medical Countermeasures
Karen A Martins1, Daniel N Wolfe2
1Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, DC, USA. karen.martins@hhs.gov.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|November 25, 2024
Summary
Licensed medical countermeasures for Ebola virus (EBOV) offer a path to develop Marburg virus (MARV) vaccines and therapeutics. Lessons from EBOV inform MARV countermeasure development and deployment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Marburg virus (MARV), a member of the Filoviridae family, poses a significant biological threat with no currently available licensed vaccines or therapeutics.
- Licensed medical countermeasures (MCMs) exist for Ebola virus (EBOV), another Filoviridae family member, providing a precedent for MARV countermeasure development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To leverage lessons learned from Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak responses and MCM development for Marburg virus (MARV) MCM development.
- To define the concept of operations for utilizing vaccines and therapeutics against MARV.
- To establish target product profiles for MARV MCMs based on the operational concept.
Main Methods:
- Reviewing lessons learned from EBOV outbreak responses and MCM development.
- Analyzing the likely concept of operations for MARV vaccines and therapeutics.
- Defining target product profiles informed by the concept of operations.
Main Results:
- Identification of applicable strategies from EBOV MCM development for MARV.
- Outlining a probable concept of operations for MARV MCM deployment.
- Establishing target product profiles to guide MARV countermeasure advancement.
Conclusions:
- The established EBOV MCM framework provides a viable model for accelerating MARV countermeasure development.
- Defining operational concepts and target product profiles is crucial for advancing the MARV MCM pipeline.
- Next steps involve progressing the current MARV MCM pipeline towards licensure.
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