Zika Vaccine Trial Hits Phase 2 in Southern US stat : courthousenews

Scientists derived the Zika vaccine platform from a strategy that was used to develop a West Nile virus vaccine candidate. "Once injected into muscle, the encoded proteins assemble into particles that mimic Zika virus and trigger the body's immune system to respond. (CN) – Volunteers in Houston and Miami are being assembled for the second phase of an experimental DNA vaccine for the Zika virus, government scientists said Friday. "All participants will receive the investigational vaccine intramuscularly at three separate clinic visits each four weeks apart," the NIH says. There is no licensed vaccine to prevent disease caused by Zika infection, butthe NIH say the clinical trial underway for the past year has produced encouraging results.




The trial on the Vaccine, developed by government scientists at the NIAID's Vaccine Research Center, will take place in two parts. Unlike many vaccines that protect against infectious diseases, this Zika vaccine doesn't consist of the virus. Once inside the body, the vaccine mimics the Zika virus and triggers an immune response. The trial design is also double-blind, meaning both study participants and researchers will not know who actually receives the real vaccine. In this part of the trial, researchers will administer the vaccine at varying doses to better understand how much of the vaccine a person needs in order for it to be effective.


The vaccine being tested is a new type, called a DNA vaccine. NIH researchers also are studying more traditional Zika vaccines, but those are not yet ready for human trials. The DNA vaccine contains no actual virus, but has genes extracted from Zika viruses. U.S. researchers have begun enrolling people in the next phase of testing for a vaccine to protect against Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects in pregnant women. Participants will be monitored for two years to see whether the vaccine protects against Zika infection.


collected by :Lucy William

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