Publications by authors named "L Easterbrook"

Article Synopsis
  • Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes that causes severe joint pain and fever, continuing to cause outbreaks globally since 2005.
  • To test potential vaccines and antivirals, researchers compared disease progression and viral loads in different mouse strains, focusing on A129 (which lacks a specific receptor) and C57BL/6.
  • Findings showed that A129 mice experienced more severe disease compared to their parental 129Sv/Ev strain, and 129Sv/Ev mice had higher viral loads than C57BL/6, establishing important models for future research.
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Viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) pose a significant threat to human health. In recent years, VHF outbreaks caused by Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses have caused substantial morbidity and mortality in West and Central Africa. In 2022, an Ebola disease outbreak in Uganda caused by Sudan virus resulted in 164 cases with 55 deaths.

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Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic pathogen causing disease in livestock and humans. Whilst initially restricted to the African continent, recent spread to the Arabian Peninsula has highlighted the likelihood of entry into new regions. Due to the absence of a regulatory-approved human vaccine, work is ongoing to develop and assess countermeasures.

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The development of new therapies against SARS-CoV-2 is required to extend the toolkit of intervention strategies to combat the global pandemic. In this study, hyperimmune plasma from sheep immunised with whole spike SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein has been used to generate candidate products. In addition to purified IgG, we have refined candidate therapies by removing non-specific IgG via affinity binding along with fragmentation to eliminate the Fc region to create F(ab') fragments.

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