Brain-like organoids reveal how Ebola persists and spreads for 120 days

MedicalXpress | juin 12, 2026

Following infection, the Ebola virus can survive unnoticed in the human body for months or even years, hiding in areas with little immune surveillance like the central nervous system. The danger is that those affected may have an Ebola virus disease relapse or even trigger a new outbreak. Using a cerebral organoid model, researchers at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), together with other collaborators, gained valuable insights into the mechanisms of such Ebola virus persistence. Their findings were recently published in Nature Microbiology.