Thailand successfully develops antibodies to treat Ebola virus

BANGKOK, October 2 (TNA) - Bangkok-based Siriraj Hospital has successfully developed antibodies to treat Ebola virus and has already sought a patent for the achievement. Dr. Udom Kachintorn, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, announced the success in the production of Ebola treatment antibodies at a press conference on Thursday. Dr. Udom said that the antibodies by his faculty's team of researchers showed new technology as their structure was different from antibodies under overseas development and they were noticeably more efficient, but they have not yet been tested in animals and people. Dr. Wanpen Chaicumpa, head of the researchers' team, told the press conference, meanwhile, that the antibodies produced by her team are called human single chain antibodies and are five times smaller than normal antibodies, which could efficiently penetrate infected cells and kill the deadly Ebola virus quickly. Dr. Wanpen acknowledged that her team could produce only a small number of the antibodies and, for general use, it would ask the private sector to realize the mass production.(TNA)