In response to the editorial "Can Statins Help Treat Ebola?", the
answer according to our Computational Analysis of Novel Drug
Opportunities (CANDO) drug discovery and repurposing platform is
"yes". 

The CANDO platform predictions are made by analysing how a database of
3733 human ingestible compounds interact with solved and modelled
protein structures from five Ebola proteomes using a multiscale
modelling framework that translates atomic level simulations to
clincal outcomes. This platform, which can [make] predictions against
any disease, was described in a recent paper in Drug Disovery Today
[1].

At the most stringest cutoffs used, somatostatin is ranked at position
3, and nystatin ranks at position 14 out of 21 compounds predicted. 

According to CANDO, the statins are predicted to bind strongly to the
structures of pre-small/secreted glycoprotein (pre-sGP), the envelope
glycoprotein (GP1,2 or GP), small non-structural secreted glycoprotein
(SGP), super small secreted glycoprotein (SsGP), and the second
non-structural secreted glycoprotein.

According to the CANDO predictions, there are many FDA approved drugs
that may treat Ebola infections. An overview of the CANDO predictions
against Ebola may be found here:
http://cando.compbio.washington.edu/results/ebola/readme.html

I am working with Dr. Michael Katze (also in my department) who works
on Ebola in vitro and in vivo to evaluate the top predictions. We are
currently seeking funding to test our predictions but the editorial by
Drs. Fedson and Opal are colinear with our predictions. Not only do
our predictions agree with those my Drs. Fedson and Opal, but this
approach provides a general framework for treating emerging,
neglected, and underserved indications.

1.  CANDO and the infinite drug discovery frontier.  Minie M, Chopra
    G, Sethi G, Horst J, White G, Roy A, Hatti K, Samudrala R.  Drug
    Discov Today. 2014 Jun 26. pii: S1359-6446(14)00253-0. doi:
    10.1016/j.drudis.2014.06.018. [Epub ahead of print]

--Ram

Ram Samudrala, PhD
Principal Investigator, Computational Biology Group
Associate Professor, Departments of Microbiology, Biology, and Oral Biology
University of Washington
Seattle WA 98195 USA
V: 1-206-251-8852
F: 1-206-732-6055
W: http://compbio.washington.edu