The Native Antigen Company, located in Oxford, UK, is launching Sudan Ebolavirus Boniface 1976 Glycoprotein (SEBOV GP). It is a recombinant protein and adds to the firm’s portfolio of antigens and antibodies for infectious diseases.
"The new SEBOV GP product builds on our recognized expertise in infectious diseases, expanding our portfolio to include a range of disease-state markers and other critical reagents for human health. By providing researchers with the high-quality reagents needed to study the Sudanese Ebolavirus, we hope to increase the likelihood that a successful vaccine can be developed in the future,” said Pardeep Sharda, senior product manager, The Native Antigen Company.
Founded in 2010, The Native Antigen Company specialises in the development and manufacture of native and recombinant viral and bacterial antigens, antibodies and immunoassays, alongside bespoke product development and custom manufacturing using its proprietary mammalian cell expression system.
Sudan Ebolavirus Boniface 1976 Glycoprotein (SEBOV GP), explained the developer, was expressed in HEK293 cells and features a C-terminal His-tag, with secretion driven by a heterologous signal peptide. “The glycoprotein is responsible for attachment, fusion, and entry of the virus to target cells, as well as critical pathogenic differences among viral species. The function of the EBOV GP makes it a vital component of vaccines and a prime target of neutralizing antibodies, and inhibitors of attachment and fusion,” said the producer.
Sudan Ebolavirus outbreaks
Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV) is a species of ebolavirus responsible for severe disease in humans, Ebola haemorrhagic fever. In total, six SUDV outbreaks have been documented, most recently in Uganda, where there have been 141 confirmed cases of the virus, with a mortality rate of 39%, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
There are no licensed vaccines for SUDV, but there are candidate vaccines which are due to be used in trials.
The WHO held consultations with experts to identify candidate therapeutics and vaccines for inclusion in trials throughout October and November 2022 and to draft clinical trial protocols for both vaccine and therapeutic candidates against the virus.
The experts recommended that three candidate vaccines should be included in a planned vaccination trial in Uganda: VSV-SUDV from Merck/IAVI, ChAd3-SUDV from the Sabin Institute, and biEBOV from Oxford University/Jenner Institute.
