28 Jun Two New Vaccines Provide Protection Against Zika in Mice

Posted at 20:49h in Author Interviews, Beth Israel Deaconess, Nature, Vaccine Studies, Zika by

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dan Barouch, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard Director, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Dr. Dan Barouch

Dan Barouch, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard
Director, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: We showed that two vaccines, a DNA vaccine and a purified inactivated virus vaccine, both provided complete protection against Zika virus challenge in mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Zika vaccine protection in any animal model.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Protection was striking, with all the control mice showing high levels of virus replication and all vaccinated mice showing no detectable virus after challenge with Zika virus from Brazil. Protection was achieved even by a single shot immunization.

We also showed that protection was the result of vaccine-induced antibodies, at levels that are similar to other flavivirus vaccines for which successful human vaccines have been developed.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: These findings raise optimism that the development of a safe and effective vaccine against Zika virus for humans may be successful. Clinical trials should proceed as quickly as possible.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Vaccine protection against Zika virus from Brazil
Rafael A. Larocca, Peter Abbink, Jean Pierre S. Peron, Paolo M. de A. Zanotto, M. Justin Iampietro, Alexander Badamchi-Zadeh, Michael Boyd, David Ng’ang’a, Marinela Kirilova,Ramya Nityanandam, Noe B. Mercado, Zhenfeng Li, Edward T. Moseley, Christine A. Bricault, Erica N. Borducchi, Patricia B. Giglio, David Jetton, George Neubauer, Joseph P. Nkolola, Lori F. Maxfield, Rafael A. De La Barrera, Richard G. Jarman, Kenneth H. Eckels,Nelson L. Michael, Stephen J. Thomas et al.
Nature (2016) doi:10.1038/nature18952
Published online 28 June 2016

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Last Updated on June 28, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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