Postexposure protection of non-human primates against a lethal Ebola virus challenge with RNA interference: a proof-of-concept study.

The article details a study which examined the efficacy of modified non-immunostimulatory small interfering RNA (siRNA) in a lethal non-human primate model of Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) hemorrhagic fever. Study authors provided anti-ZEBOV siRNA, which was formulated in stable nucleic acid-lipid particles (SNALP) using combined siRNA that targets ZEBOV L polymerase, viral protein (VP) 24 and VP35, to a group of macaques. They found that 66 percent of the rhesus monkey that received anti-ZEBOV siRNA were protected from lethal ZEBOV infection. They concluded that RNA interference has a potential of being an effective postexposure treatment for people infected with the Ebola virus.