SBIR/STTR Award attributes
There are currently no vaccines or therapeutics available for Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). Given the specter of weaponization and the terrible morbidity and high mortality rate of MVD, this represents a critical threat to the operational readiness of the Warfighter. While traditional vaccines have contributed greatly to public health, they have some limitations especially in the context of operational readiness. One of the most significant limitations is that vaccines rely on the host to develop an appropriate immune response. In order to confer immunity, this endogenous immune response must be of sufficient strength and also of appropriate specificity. Further, immunity can take on the order of 1-6 months to fully develop. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) offer an alternative that can directly address all of these limitations associated with traditional vaccines. A controlled dose of a mAb(s) of known specificity and known protective activity can be administered to provide instantaneous immunity to the Warfighter. Through the use of wellcharacterized point mutations, the already long serum half-life of an IgG1, can be dramatically extended. The goal of this effort is to develop a mAb-based intramuscularly administered vaccine alternative for the Warfighter that would confer immediate immunity for 6-12 months against aerosolized Marburg virus.
