--- title: Ebola: Nobel Scientists Recommend Using Survivors' Blood for Treatment description: A number of scientists have recommended that U.S. agencies use the blood of Ebola survivors to harness antibodies that have fought Ebola canonical: https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-07T16:33:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T11:18:19.751Z article:section: Health og:title: Scientists Say Ebola Treatment Research Should Focus on Survivors' Blood og:description: Nobel laureates are among those who signed the proposal og:url: https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cfc14328a115c41/69876367cd1bba58dd6f2e6e/453210018.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Ebola Virus og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Say Ebola Treatment Research Should Focus on Survivors' Blood twitter:description: Nobel laureates are among those who signed the proposal twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cfc14328a115c41/69876367cd1bba58dd6f2e6e/453210018.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Scientists Say Ebola Treatment Research Should Focus on Survivors' Blood  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Nov 7, 2014 4:33 PM UTC  A colorized transmission electron micrograph of the Ebola virus is seen in this CDC handout. A colorized transmission electron micrograph of the Ebola virus is seen in this CDC handout.Center for Disease Control—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Nov 7, 2014 4:33 PM UTC A group of prominent scientists wrote a letter to American health officials that proposed the search for Ebola treatments and vaccines include using the blood of survivors to harness the antibodies that beat the virus, according to a [review](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/07/us-health-ebola-usa-antibodies-exclusive-idUSKBN0IR1I520141107?utm%5Fsource=twitter) of the proposal. Reuters reports that the letter proposes using passive immunization — an approach that differs with the drug development going on today, which leans more toward isolating one or several molecules — so scientists could determine the genetic makeup of different Ebola antibodies and reproduce them as a single treatment. The proposed method is similar to one used to fight HIV. Nobel laureates James Watson, who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA and David Baltimore, an influential molecular biologist, are among the signatories of the letter sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, members of Congress and research companies. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 5,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa this year. [Read more at _Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/07/us-health-ebola-usa-antibodies-exclusive-idUSKBN0IR1I520141107?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm%5Fsource=twitter) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/"},"headline":"Scientists Say Ebola Treatment Research Should Focus on Survivors' Blood","datePublished":"2014-11-07T16:33:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:18:19.751Z","description":"Nobel laureates are among those who signed the proposal","url":"https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/","keywords":["ebola","Infectious Disease","WHO"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cfc14328a115c41/69876367cd1bba58dd6f2e6e/453210018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cfc14328a115c41/69876367cd1bba58dd6f2e6e/453210018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ebola Virus","caption":"Ebola Virus","creditText":"Center for Disease Control—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ebola/","name":"ebola"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3572274/ebola-survivors-blood/","name":"Scientists Say Ebola Treatment Research Should Focus on Survivors' Blood"}}]}] ```