{
  "abstract": "The 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak in the DRC and Uganda raises urgent questions about the efficacy of existing Ebola virus (EBOV) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). Here, we perform genomic and structural analyses of 44 BDBV sequences, including 12 from the 2026 outbreak, to assess mAb binding to the viral glycoprotein (GP). While the MBP134 cocktail epitopes remain conserved, mAb114 (Ebanga) binding is compromised by E112D and P116A mutations, causing off-target binding and reduced affinity. Structural modeling of Inmazeb shows that while Odesivimab maintains epitope binding, Atoltivimab and Maftivimab fail to bind their designated sites individually, though the complete trimeric cocktail demonstrates BDBV synergistic binding. These computational models predict mAb114 efficacy against BDBV may be compromised due to epitope mutations affecting binding affinity, whereas MBP134 retains conserved targeting and holds promise as a broadly protective therapeutic. The complex binding behavior of Inmazeb components points to the importance of antibody combinatorial effects for treatment efficacy. These observations warrant urgent experimental validation through neutralization assays.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "National Health Laboratory & Diagnostic Services, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Laboratoire Provincial de Santé Publique, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Leuven, Belgium",
    "Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium",
    "Service de Microbiologie, Département de Biologie Médicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "TransVIHMI, Université de Montpellier, INSERM, RD, Montpellier, France",
    "Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, Miami, FL USA",
    "Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda",
    "Rodolphe Merieux INRB-Goma Laboratory, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia",
    "Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda",
    "Department of Epidemiology, Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA",
    "African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria",
    "Pandemic Sciences Institute, Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK",
    "European Plotkin Institute for Vaccinology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium",
    "Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA USA",
    "Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo",
    "Department of Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Canada",
    "Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK",
    "Department of Computer Science, School of Computing and Information Technology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda",
    "South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 61,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kevin Cissy Nabukeera",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-8319-1853"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gradi Luakanda-Ndelemo",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-0406-2361"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Syrus Semawule",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-3405-8099"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alisen Ayitewala"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Pascal Adroba-Tandele"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Walakira"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Adrienne Amuri-Aziza",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5516-0779"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Daan Jansen",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4612-6891"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ronald Galiwango"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Eddy Kinganda-Lusamaki",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9795-0165"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Tebba",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5452-3603"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Christian Ngandu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Aloysious Ssemaganda",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4377-5220"
    },
    {
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        1,
        8,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Olivier Tshiani-Mbaya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Stephen Kanyerezi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Judith Kyokushaba"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Prince Akil-Bandali"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Carol Makoha"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Hellen Rosette Oundo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Servet Kimbonza"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Stephen Balinandi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3057-0755"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        12
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Mukadi-Bamuleka",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6836-8704"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Valeria Nakintu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Justus Nsio"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ibrahimm Mugerwa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Kadobera"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Euriene"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Sabue Mulangu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Ahidjo Ayouba"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Micheal Eliu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15
      ],
      "name": "Sam Gidudu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        16
      ],
      "name": "Henry Kyobe Bosa",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6593-8727"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        17
      ],
      "name": "Misaki Wayengera"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        18
      ],
      "name": "Anne W. Rimoin",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0662-9067"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Benard Lubwama"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Atek Kagirita"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Steve Ahuka-Mundeke"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Dieudonné Mwamba"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Kambugu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Pontiano Kaleebu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        19
      ],
      "name": "Christian Happi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3056-6705"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Laurens Liesenborghs",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5616-8548"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        20
      ],
      "name": "Miles W. Carroll",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7026-7187"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        21
      ],
      "name": "Piet Maes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        22
      ],
      "name": "Jean B. Nachega",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2862-4443"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Martine Peeters"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        23
      ],
      "name": "Pierre Akilimali"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Ronnie Bahatungire"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Allan Muruta"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        24
      ],
      "name": "Jason Kindrachuk",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3305-7084"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        25
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Rambaut",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4337-3707"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Kyabayinze",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0539-1341"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Charles Olaro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Koen Vercauteren",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1472-9938"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Susan Nabadda"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Diana Atwine"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4,
        26
      ],
      "name": "Daudi Jjingo",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1685-9234"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Tony Wawina-Bokalanga",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6659-0267"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7,
        27
      ],
      "name": "Placide Mbala-Kingebeni",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1556-3570"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4c190rhyzm7ae.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78077-9",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710742/",
  "id": "4c190rhyzm7ae",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78077-9",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214455207",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78077-9_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710742",
  "pmid": "42934242",
  "published": "2026-09-26",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4c190rhyzm7ae.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710742",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78077-9"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Early insights into predicted efficacy of Ebola monoclonal antibodies for the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak",
  "title_text": "Early insights into predicted efficacy of Ebola monoclonal antibodies for the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4c190rhyzm7ae",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}