Success in Mice Shows Zika Vaccine 'Feasible'

Success in Mice Shows Zika Vaccine 'Feasible'

Two candidates provided protection after just one shot; clinical trials planned for later this year

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Studies involving mice support the effectiveness of two vaccine candidates against the Zika virus, scientists say.

This "critical first step" is leading to trials in monkeys and humans, "and gives us early confidence that development of a protective Zika virus vaccine for humans is feasible," said researcher Col. Nelson Michael.

He is co-leader of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Silver Spring, Md., and one member of a team involved in the search for a vaccine against the mosquito-borne virus.

Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, where an infant is born with an abnormally small head and brain. In Latin America, thousands of babies have already been born with microcephaly, and health officials are scrambling to help prevent cases in the United States as the summer mosquito season arrives.

At least 10 pregnant women in the Dallas area have been infected with Zika, Texas officials confirmed last week. All of the women contracted the mosquito-borne virus while traveling abroad.

A vaccine effective against Zika would be invaluable. Reporting June 28 in the journal Nature, researchers said one of the new shots was developed at Harvard Medical School in Boston and is partly based on a Zika strain isolated in Brazil.

The other vaccine, using a strain isolated in Puerto Rico, has been developed by Michael's team at WRAIR.

Both vaccines shielded mice against Zika infection with just a single shot required, the researchers said.

The two vaccines are similar to other shots already in use against flaviviruses, which include dengue fever, West Nile and others.

"We showed that vaccine-induced antibodies provided protection, similar to existing vaccines for other flaviviruses," said Dr. Dan Barouch. He directs the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

"The effectiveness of these vaccines ... provide substantial optimism for a clear path forward for the development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine for humans," Barouch said in a Beth Israel Deaconess news release.

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