When the World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, scientists around the world mobilized to help. Among them were researchers at Dalhousie University.
Working alongside scientists and public health teams in Uganda and the DRC, researchers in Dalhousie's Department of Microbiology and Immunology helped identify a new variant of Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), a rare and contagious form of Ebola for which there are currently no approved treatments or vaccines specifically designed for the disease.
For Dr. Anuj Kumar, a Moderna Global Fellow and researcher in Dr. David Kelvin's Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Dalhousie, helping respond to the outbreak meant tackling two urgent challenges at once: understanding the virus and identifying potential ways to stop it.
Within weeks of the public health emergency declaration, Dr. Kumar and his international collaborators published two significant studies in leading infectious disease journals. One, published in The Lancet, identified the virus driving the outbreak as a genetically distinct variant of Bundibugyo ebolavirus. A second study, published in the Journal of Infection, pointed to a potential treatment option that is now being evaluated through a clinical trial in Africa.
The rapid publication of both studies gave researchers and public health officials access to critical information while the outbreak response was still unfolding.
This is a novel variant of the virus circulating in the DRC.
"This is a novel variant of the virus circulating in the DRC," says Dr. Kumar. "From the genomic side, we can build a mutation map, see what changes have occurred, and better understand what those changes in the virus might mean."
The work was a collaborative effort involving scientists, clinicians, and public health teams across three countries. Researchers in Uganda and the DRC performed the virus sequencing, while the Dalhousie team analyzed the genetic data and helped map how the virus has changed over time.
Those answers matter because understanding how a virus evolves can help researchers identify drug targets, inform future vaccine development, and support public health efforts to control the disease.
Searching for solutions
Understanding the virus was only half the challenge. Researchers also wanted to find out how the new variant could be treated, a particularly important question because BDBV remains difficult to diagnose in its early stages.
"When somebody is infected with Ebola, the initial symptoms mimic the flu or simply feeling unwell," says Dr. David Kelvin, professor and Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Inflammation. "There are currently no good diagnostic tools available to catch cases in the early stages."
Without approved therapies specifically developed for BDBV, the team turned its attention to a promising alternative: repurposing an existing drug.
Using advanced computer modelling, researchers examined whether remdesivir triphosphate, the active form of a drug used during the COVID-19 pandemic, might also be effective against the new Ebola variant.
Shown right: Dr. David Kelvin.
Their analysis suggested the drug targets a critical part of the virus responsible for replication, a region that remained unchanged despite the emergence of the new variant. That finding generated enough interest that the drug is now being evaluated through an ongoing clinical trial in Africa.
Dr. Kumar says the study demonstrates how modern computational tools can help accelerate responses during public health emergencies. Rather than starting from scratch to develop a brand-new drug, researchers can use genomic analysis and computer modelling to quickly evaluate whether existing treatments might help combat emerging diseases.
Investment, partnership, and impact
For Dr. Kelvin, the team's ability to respond quickly to the outbreak is the result of years of investment in research infrastructure, expertise, and international partnerships.
The tools used to analyze the virus were not built overnight. About four years ago, Research Nova Scotia invested in Kelvin's laboratory to strengthen its capacity in viral modelling, genomic analysis, and drug discovery. Those same tools, originally developed and refined during the COVID-19 pandemic, are now being used to support outbreak response efforts thousands of kilometres away.
"It was based on that investment that we were able to rapidly respond to the outbreak today," says Kelvin.
Support from organizations including Research Nova Scotia, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the Canada Research Chairs Program, and other research funders has helped build the expertise and infrastructure needed to answer urgent global health questions when they arise.
The key is to build research that allows us to rapidly respond.
"The key is to build research that allows us to rapidly respond," Dr. Kelvin says. "We know that through computer modelling, we can do that."
For Dr. Kumar, the project highlights the power of international scientific collaboration.
"We're working closely with our collaborators in Africa and providing support," he says. "We're optimistic that the information we're generating will be useful for researchers and public health teams working to control this outbreak."