Novel antiviral approaches for Marburg: a promising therapeutics in the pipeline

Marburg Virus Disease: Epidemiology, Immune Responses, and Innovations in Vaccination and Treatment for Enhanced Public Health Strategies

Marburg virus disease (MVD) remains an important global health concern, in part because of its particularly high mortality rate [...].

Emerging Strategies and Progress in the Medical Management of Marburg Virus Disease

During the current outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Rwanda, we synthesized evidence from the literature to improve case management. Accordingly, experimental treatment was offered to patients under close follow-up. Remdesivir alone or in combination with monoclonal antibody treatment (MBP091) complemented with supportive care has improved the clinical outcomes of patients. Additionally, we have identified several experimental therapies currently under investigation, including antiviral drugs such as favipiravir, galidesivir, obeldesivir, and remdesivir, along with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies (e.g., polyclonal IgG, monoclonal antibody MR-78-N; MR82-N; MR191-N; monoclonal antibodies MR186-YTE and MBP091). Furthermore, substantial progress is being made in vaccine development, with promising candidates including adenovirus-vectored vaccines, DNA vaccines, and the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vaccine. Moreover, innovative preventive and treatment strategies-such as synthetic hormones like estradiol benzoate, small interfering RNA (siRNA), interferon-β therapy, and phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers-are emerging as potential options for MVD management. Further investment is needed to accelerate research and optimize these therapeutics and preventive modalities. Additional epidemiological, preclinical, and clinical studies are warranted to generate the evidence required to inform policymaking, resource mobilization, and the implementation of cost-effective interventions for the prevention, control, and treatment of MVD.

[Disease Caused by Filoviruses: An Update]

The Marburg and Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family and are known to cause emerging zoonotic diseases. These viruses have a high case fatality rate and are easily transmissible from person to person, which makes them capable of triggering outbreaks, including in non-endemic regions, and are also considered agents of bioterrorism. Fruit bats are the natural reservoirs of these filoviruses. Transmission to humans occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids or tissues from infected animals or humans. The most severe form of filovirus disease manifests as mucocutaneous hemorrhage, often accompanied by multiorgan failure, which is the main cause of death. Traditionally, these diseases are classified in the group of viral hemorrhagic fevers, although this term is being abandoned, as there are not always hemorrhagic manifestations or fever in the patient's clinical history. Currently, no specific antiviral treatment for filovirus disease exists, and the therapeutic approach consists of supportive measures. However, for the Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV), monoclonal antibodies have already been licensed for treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis, in addition to three vaccines available. Due to the public health importance and the possibility of cases outside Africa, this review aims to improve clinical knowledge and the approach to suspected cases of FD. Improved surveillance and preparedness for potential global outbreaks are essential measures to effectively respond to these public health threats and to ensure that healthcare professionals are well-informed and prepared to deal with these diseases.

New reverse sum Revan indices for physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of anti-filovirus drugs

Ebola and Marburg viruses, biosafety level 4 pathogens, cause severe hemorrhaging and organ failure with high mortality. Although some FDA-approved vaccines or therapeutics like Ervebo for Zaire Ebola virus exist, still there is a lack of effective therapeutics that cover all filoviruses, including both Ebola and Marburg viruses. Therefore, some anti-filovirus drugs such as Pinocembrin, Favipiravir, Remdesivir and others are used to manage infections. In theoretical chemistry, a chemical molecule is converted into an isomorphic molecular graph, G ( V , E ) by considering atom set V as vertices and bond set E as edges. A topological index is a molecular descriptor derived from the molecular graph of a chemical compound that characterizes its topology. The relationship between a compound's chemical structure and its properties is investigated through the quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR). This article introduces new reverse sum Revan degree based indices to explore the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of anti-filovirus drugs via multilinear regression. The findings reveal a strong correlation between these proposed indices and the properties of anti-filovirus drugs when compared to reverse and Revan degree-based indices. Thus, reverse sum Revan indices offer valuable insights for analyzing the drugs properties used to treat Ebola and Marburg virus infections. Moreover, the multilinear regression (MLR) results through reverse sum Revan indices are compared with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modelling technique and it provides the better prediction of the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of anti-filovirus drugs.

SiRNAs as antiviral drugs - Current status, therapeutic potential and challenges

Traditionally, antiviral drugs target viral enzymes and or structural proteins, identified through large drug screens or rational drug design. The screening, chemical optimisation, small animal toxicity studies and clinical trials mean time to market is long for a new compound, and in the event of a novel virus or pandemic, weeks, and months matter. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) as a gene silencing platform is an alluring alternative. SiRNAs are now approved for use in the clinic to treat a range of diseases, are cost effective, scalable, and can be easily programmed to target any viral target in a matter of days. Despite the large number of preclinical studies that clearly show siRNAs are highly effective antivirals this has not translated into clinical success with no products on the market. This review provides a comprehensive overview of both the clinical and preclinical work in this area and outlines the challenges the field faces going forward that need to be addressed in order to see siRNA antivirals become a clinical reality.