Johan van Griensven, the professor that coordinates the study at ITM, turned out to be somewhat disappointed by the fact that the treatment did not significantly improve the survival of patients. “But this doesn’t mean that the study was not useful, “ says Griensven. More research is necessary to explore the benefits of plasma transfusion of ebola survivors, before a final conclusion can be made.
In a letter in the NEJM on November 14, the researchers examined whether the dose of antibodies administered to the patients, could be associated with the effectiveness of the treatment. Patients who received a higher dose of Ebola antibodies in fact showed a lower viral load after the transfusion, but unfortunately, there was no significant correlation with mortality. On October 31, the project was officially closed.
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