"Secret" Serum the Cure for Ebola?

In a cryptic CNN story, monoclonal antibodies are being touted as the possible cure for Ebola. When U.S. physician, Dr. Kent Brantly, was hospitalized with the filovirus, he insisted that the experimental serum be given to his colleague; however, when his condition deteriorated, the "secret" serum (CNN's words, not mine), which must be stored at sub-zero temps, was flown to the hospital.

Brantly began to deteriorate and developed labored breathing. He told his doctors, "I am going to die," according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the situation.

This is the stuff of Tom Clancy's dreams: A killer virus that blew up and burned out of control. A secret serum. An historical moment when two Ebola patients were flown to the U.S.
www.cnn.com...

I caught that to and was wondering about this secret serum. Why is there only one?

Very interesting indeed. Good catch. I find it curious that the moment American health workers get sick with this "incurable" illness, they start the process to send a possible cure no one has heard of to the affected area. I'm usually a skeptic on a lot of things conspiracy related, but if a certain group of people wanted to drop the world population with a deadly disease, they would certainly make sure it happens far enough away from their own country as possible, and that there is some kind of treatment so that they themselves don't end up creating their own demise.

Really seems like eugenics at work. The same mindset behind infecting Native American's with smallpox tainted blankets, and the Tuskeegee Syphilis experiments.

The sub-zero storage was interesting, I thought.
However, if this were a plot point in a novel, I'd close the book at this point. A "secret" serum that cures this rapidly, reversing symptoms ... now that's the stuff of fiction. We're talking about a disease that knocks out the immune system and turns off the clotting factor. I mean, we're not talking about giving Lactated Ringers to someone who is mildly dehydrated and the IV caused an almost immediate end to symptoms.
Yet here it is. A miracle drug to the strangest outbreak ever.

The source doesn't say if the drug worked on those doctors.

a reply to: drwill

Posted this in the thread after this which will probably be shut down.

If this was done last week, why did they fly that US doc back here for treatment?

a reply to: drwill

It does seem quite ridiculous at first blush. It's entirely possible that these particular people were never actually infected, and this is all yet another example of a media "drill". Who can say at this point?

a reply to: Bilk22

My guess is the CDC will do umpteen tests on the survivors.
Like a page from Stephen King's The Stand. Remember Stu? I say this jokingly. Yet not.

Thanks to all who replied to this post. I was late on the draw, too.

a reply to: TotalProtonicReversal
IMHO, the infected physicians had the disease. What's otherworldly is the "secret serum."
CNN is talking to Gupta right now. (The serum was flown in...from where? I haven't found a source for that tidbit.)
"Within 20 min to a hour, the victim's condition reversed." -- Dr. Gupta, CNN LIVE (TV).
All I can say is:
"The world is crazy on top and wild at heart." -- from Barry Gifford's "Wild at Heart."

a reply to: Trueman
It's all over the Internet now.
Interestingly enough, the drug has never been tested on humans (just a few promising results on monkeys) until now.
Dr. Gupta is calling it a "Hail Mary" move (source: CNN LIVE/TV)

Double post

Wrong thread

a reply to: drwill

Thanks for the good news, God bless the people who created this serum.

a reply to: Hellas

I'm following them; thank you.

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: drwill

Posted this in the thread after this which will probably be shut down.

If this was done last week, why did they fly that US doc back here for treatment?

There was only one dose of this magic serum and our American hero declined it so the lady can be saved.

In my opinion neither had Ebola. It's just a nice fairy tale to sell the new vaccine. Which will be a killer like the bird flu vaccine

originally posted by: drwill
The sub-zero storage was interesting, I thought.
However, if this were a plot point in a novel, I'd close the book at this point. A "secret" serum that cures this rapidly, reversing symptoms ... now that's the stuff of fiction. We're talking about a disease that knocks out the immune system and turns off the clotting factor. I mean, we're not talking about giving Lactated Ringers to someone who is mildly dehydrated and the IV caused an almost immediate end to symptoms.
Yet here it is. A miracle drug to the strangest outbreak ever.

The science is sound. When an antigen invades a person, the immune system, if it recognizes the antigen as foreign, produces antibodies against that antigen.

The idea of using this serum is that if someone survives an illness, it is because his body put of a resistance to it and made antibodies against it. The idea is to use the serum of the survivor, that has all of these successful antibodies, and either give it directly to another patient or derive the antibodies in a lab that you can then give to another patient.

The principle is sound and has worked in other diseases. Whether or not it works in this case, is yet to be seen.

originally posted by: drwill
a reply to: Hellas

I'm following them; thank you.

Sorry my bad, you were first

originally posted by: drwill
a reply to: Trueman
It's all over the Internet now.
Interestingly enough, the drug has never been tested on humans (just a few promising results on monkeys) until now.
Dr. Gupta is calling it a "Hail Mary" move (source: CNN LIVE/TV)

It was flown in from USAMRIID in Maryland and yes, they've had some promising results in primate testing.

originally posted by: Hellas

originally posted by: Bilk22
a reply to: drwill

Posted this in the thread after this which will probably be shut down.

If this was done last week, why did they fly that US doc back here for treatment?

There was only one dose of this magic serum and our American hero declined it so the lady can be saved.

In my opinion neither had Ebola. It's just a nice fairy tale to sell the new vaccine. Which will be a killer like the bird flu vaccine

It's not a vaccine.

a reply to: NavyDoc
This is great info.