Scientists from one of the world’s leading institutes of tropical medicine, which first discovered the Ebola virus in the 1970s flew out to Guinea yesterday to begin ground-breaking research into a possible cure for the disease, racing against the clock to find a treatment which will help stem the deaths in the current epidemic.

Johan van Griensven, lead researcher from Antwerp’s Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), told The Independent that he was “moderately positive” that the study into whether blood from Ebola survivors can treat new victims would yield results in time to have an impact.

“There surely is a real urgency to get started soon, yet careful preparation is of the essence,” he said just before boarding a plane to Guinea. “If the treatment works and Ebola survivors are willing to donate blood ... [then] I am confident that the treatment, in particular whole blood therapy, can be rolled-out across the affected countries,” he added.

The institute has the history and expertise to deal with the deadly virus: in 1976 a flask of blood taken from a sick Belgian nun working in Zaire arrived in Antwerp. ITM scientists were at first flummoxed by the disease, then diagnosed the first recorded case of Ebola. A subsequent research trip into the central African rainforests to try and understand and treat the mysterious new virus laid the groundwork for the way the Ebola is identified and contained today.

Teresa Romero with her husband, Javier Limon, after her discharge from hospital in Madrid (EPA)

Now the institute is back at the forefront of the fight against the virus, and the scale of an epidemic which has killed more than 4,900 people in parts of West Africa means they are getting to work as quickly as possible. Mr Van Griensven and his colleague will be arriving in Guinea less than two weeks after the ITM got the final go-ahead and a €2.9m (£2.3m) grant from the European Union to lead an international consortium studying the experimental treatment.

Their first task is to identify a local partner and start recruiting up to 200 patients to take part in the study, which is backed by 13 leading institutes including the World Health Organisation, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Oxford University and France’s Institute Pasteur.

“Using antibodies contained in the blood of recovered patients is a well-established technique used for several other infectious diseases,” explained Mr Van Griensven.

Johan van Griensven, the lead researcher

“For Ebola it has been tried too already, albeit on a very small scale... What we need now is a well-designed study according to high ethical and scientific standards to confirm it works and see whether it can be scaled up.”

The institute has plenty of field experience to draw on. It was when trying to tackle a 1995 outbreak of the virus in Kikwit in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) that ITM researchers first used blood transfusions to treat eight patients. Seven of them survived.

Blood from survivors has also been used in the United States to treat four people infected in the current Ebola outbreak. Three of them received plasma from Dr Kent Brantly, who himself was treated with the blood of the 14-year-old patient in Liberia. Teresa Romero, the Spanish nursing assistant who contracted Ebola while treating an infected missionary in Madrid, was also given plasma from the blood of a survivor. Yesterday she said she would be a willing to become a donor too. “If my blood works to cure people, I’m ready to give it to the last drop,” she said.

But Spanish doctors acknowledged that they had used so many different experimental treatments that it was impossible to pinpoint which one ultimately led to her recovery. The same problem applies to the other recent cases, and right now there remains no standard Ebola treatment beyond dealing with the individual symptoms.

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The protocol for a possible case of Ebola has been activated as the man, who arrived from Mali to Jumilla town in Murcia province five days ago, presents clinical symptoms of high fever and vomiting EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Kenyan medical workers show how to handle an infected Ebola patient on a portable negative pressure bed at the Kenyatta national hospital in Nairobi Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker sprays disinfectant onto a college in Monrovia, Liberia AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A burial team in protective gear bury the body of a woman suspected to have died from Ebola virus in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Healthcare workers in protective gear work at an Ebola treatment center in the west of Freetown, Sierra Leone AP Photo/Michael Duff In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A healthcare worker in protective gear is sprayed with disinfectant after working in an Ebola treatment center in the west of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A member of the NGO U Fondation leaves a house after visiting quarantined family members suffering from the Ebola virus in Monrovia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola sign placed infront of a home in West Point slum area of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian man carries his sick brother suspected of having Ebola after being delayed admission to the Island Clinic Ebola Treatment Unit due to a lack of beds at the clinic on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers remove the body a woman who died from the Ebola virus in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker fixes another health worker's protective suit in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers spray themselves with chlorine disinfectants after removing the body a woman who died of Ebola virus in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A woman crawls towards the body of her sister as Ebola burial team members take her sister Mekie Nagbe (28) for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Sophia Doe sits with her grandchildren Beauty Mandi, 9 months (L) and Arthuneh Qunoh, 9, (R), while watching the arrival an Ebola burial team to take away the body of her daughter Mekie Nagbe, 28, for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Varney Jonson (46) grieves as an Ebola burial team takes away the body of his wife Nama Fambule for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Family members grieve as Ebola burial team members prepare to remove the body of Nama Fambule for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian burial squad carry the body of an Ebola victim in Marshall, Margini county, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team dresses in protective clothing before collecting the body of a woman (54) from her home in the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team carries the body of a woman (54) through the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team dresses in protective clothing before collecting the body of a woman (54) from her home in the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers in protective gear carry the body of a woman suspected to have died from Ebola virus, from a house in New Kru Town at the outskirt of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Volunteers in protective suit bury the body of a person who died from Ebola in Waterloo, some 30 kilometers southeast of Freetown FLORIAN PLAUCHEUR/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Nowa Paye (9) is taken to an ambulance after showing signs of the Ebola infection in the village of Freeman Reserve, about 30 miles north of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Medical staff members burn clothes belonging to patients suffering from Ebola, at the French medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Monrovia PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A medical staff member wearing a protective suit walks past the crematorium where victims of Ebola are burned in Monrovia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian burial team wearing protective clothing loads the body of a 60-year-old Ebola victim after retrieving him from his home Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Sick women rest while hoping to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center near Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Hanah Siafa walks in the rain with her children Josephine, 10, and Elija, six, while waiting to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus UNICEF health workers walk through the streets, going house to house to speak about Ebola prevention in New Kru Town, Liberia. The virus has killed more than 1,000 people in four African countries Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Local residents watch as public health advocates stage an Ebola awareness and prevention event in Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Public health advocates stage an Ebola awareness and prevention event in Monrovia, Liberia. The Liberian government and international groups are trying to convince residents of the danger and are urging people to wash their hands to help prevent the spread of the epidemic Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Hanah Siafa lies with her children Josephine, 10, and Elija, six, while hoping to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker examines patients for Ebola inside a screening tent, at the Kenema Government Hospital AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker cleans his hands with chlorinated water before entering an Ebola screening tent at the Kenema Government Hospital, about 86 miles from Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Aid workers and doctors transfer Miguel Pajares, a Spanish priest who was infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia, from a plane to an ambulance as he leaves the Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase, near Madrid, Spain AP Photo/Spanish Defense Ministry In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian money exchanger washes hands between customers as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while conducting business in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian health worker sprays disinfectant on a drivers boots to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus at the Christian charity Samaritan Purse head offices in Monrovia, Liberia. Over 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 making it the world's deadliest outbreak to date according to statistics from the World Health Organisation EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian taxi driver wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus whilst driving in downtown Monrovia, Liberia. Many Liberians have taken to wearing gloves and washing hands after every interaction in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian money exchanger wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while transacting business with customers in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A woman from Liberia takes food to a sick relative in the Ebola isolation unit at the ELWA Hospital where US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined having contracted the Ebola virus. Over 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 making it the world's deadliest outbreak to date according to statistics from the World Health Organisation EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus The disease has now spread to Liberia and, for the first time, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, killing at least 672 people in 1,201 cases, according to the World Health Organisation’s latest figures AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health specialists prepare for work in an isolation ward for patients at the Medecins Sans Frontieres facility in southern Guinea AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian street vendor wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while transacting business with customers in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A nurse from Liberia sprays preventives to disinfect the waiting area for visitors at the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined in the hospitals isolation unit having contracted the Ebola virus, Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the 'Doctors without Borders' ('Medecin sans frontieres') medical aid organisation carry the body of a person killed by the virus In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberia man (right) talks to a nurse (left) about the health of his relative who is in the isolation unit of the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined having contracted the Ebola virus, Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A nurse from Liberia walks to spray preventives to disinfect the waiting area for visitors at the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined in the hospitals isolation unit having contracted the Ebola virus EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse put on protective gear in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Lagos State Health Commissioner Jide Idris, speaks, during a news conference in Lagos, Nigeria. No one knows for sure just how many people Patrick Sawyer came into contact with the day he boarded a flight in Liberia, had a stopover in Ghana, changed planes in Togo, and then arrived in Nigeria, where authorities say he died days later from Ebola AP Photo/Sunday Alamba In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse put on protective gear in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia. An American doctor battling West Africa's Ebola epidemic has himself fallen sick with the disease in Liberia, Samaritan's Purse said AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Protective gear including boots, gloves, masks and suits, drying after being used in a treatment room in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian man holding a Civet being sold on a roadside as bush meat in Lofa County. Bush meat is one of the major carriers of the Ebola virus. The Liberian government and International partners have warned people to not eat it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that a total of 888 Ebola cases including 539 deaths have been recorded in West Africa since February AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus People unload protection and healthcare material at Conakry's airport, to help fight the spread of the Ebola virus and treat people who have been already infected AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Body of evidence: health workers transport a casket of a nun whose death resulted from an Ebola infection in Zaire in 1995 Getty In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Peter Piot in Yambuku, northern Congo (then Zaire), in 1976, where he was part of the original team to discover the Ebola virus J Breman In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A member of Doctors Without Borders helps to unload protection and healthcare materials in Guinea Getty In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Doctors in protective gear work inside the Medecins Sans Frontieres isolation ward as Guinea faced the worst ever outbreak of the Ebola virus Getty Images

Mr Van Griensven and his team are now determined to prove conclusively whether or not the antibodies in the blood used by immune systems to fight Ebola can indeed cure other patients.

Their research will be divided into two parts: up to 100 patients will be given whole-blood transfusions, while 100 others will be treated using just blood plasma, in which the antibodies are extracted from the blood of the survivor. The results of the two test groups will be compared with other patients who receive the same level of care but do not receive donor blood or plasma.

The WHO has said that blood therapies offer the most promising chance of finding a short-term treatment, and Mr Van Griensven says they have the added value of being relatively easy to then roll out across the worst-affected nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Other studies into experimental drugs led by pharmaceutical companies could come with large price tags.

“Whole-blood therapy via blood transfusion is a rather straightforward procedure,” he said. And while the blood plasma extraction was a more challenging operation, it could also be effective if one donor provided the antibodies to several patients.

A man shows a picture chart regarding the Ebola virus to students during a UNICEF Ebola awareness drive in Toulepleu, at the border of Liberia, western Ivory Coast (Reuters)

His arrival in Guinea will be swiftly followed by that of blood transfusion experts from ITM’s Belgian and French partners, who land on 12 November. Oxford University and the University of Liverpool will be helping with the methodology and statistical analysis, while Britain’s Wellcome Trust has also offered additional funding if needed.

The first patients will begin treatment next month, with the results of the whole-blood transfusion group expected in March, followed two months later by the plasma group.

At the same time a number of research initiatives are taking place at public and private institutions all over the world to try to find a vaccine, while the British government is funding large treatment centres and testing laboratories in Sierra Leone.

But Mr Van Griensven believes their study goes beyond science and medicine, and will help give Ebola survivors a vital role in communities which once feared them.