$3.4 Million Grant Awarded to Study Treatments for CCHFV

Scott Pegan, PhD, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health of approximately $3.4 million over five years to lead an international study focused on developing protective antibodies against CrimeanCongo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a biosafety level 4 pathogen and a category A bioterrorism agent causing severe viral hemorrhagic fever with mortality rates reaching up to 40 percent, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral therapy.

Designated a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, CCHFV is considered the reference virus for the nairovirus genus, which includes emerging pathogens such as Benji, Songling, Wetland, Yezo and the Pacific Coast tick nairovirus.

The project will study survivors of CCHFV in Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uganda to find antibodies that protect against the virus. Dr. Pegan’s research team will also explore how the immune system fights the virus and work to develop monoclonal antibody treatments that are effective against different strains for future testing. A monoclonal antibody is a type of lab-made protein that mimics the immune system’s ability to fight harmful viruses or bacteria.

“By focusing on non-traditional viral targets, our approach could lead to new, lifesaving therapeutics and help establish a framework for addressing future nairovirus outbreaks,” Dr. Pegan said.