A vaccine against Zika developed by Brazilian researchers was effective against the virus in tests carried out with laboratory mice and is ready to be subjected to clinical tests, scientific sources reported this Friday.
The formula was highly effective in tests with mice; was able to induce the organism to generate an immune response against the pathogen and protected the animals from infection, according to the Research Support Foundation in the State of Sao Paulo (Fapesp), which financed part of the project.
The good results of this immunizer in preclinical tests were highlighted in the latest edition of the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology.
The vaccine was developed by scientists from the University of Sao Paulo and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the largest health research center in Brazil, using promising nucleic acid (DNA) manipulation technologies.
«When we talk about vaccines, we usually think about the inoculation of the attenuated or inactivated virus. But DNA vaccines are a more advanced technology that evolved in the last 30 years and became a powerful therapeutic platform,” said Maria Sato, USP researcher and project coordinator, quoted in a Fapesp bulletin.
The specialist explained that DNA vaccines are cheaper and potentially more effective than those made from the inactivated virus.
He added that those responsible for the project developed four different DNA vaccine formulas that encode part of the protein complex that externally covers the Zika virus.
In this way, once inoculated, these vaccines are capable of inducing the body to produce antibodies to neutralize the pathogen and provoke an immune response to Zika.
In tests with mice, the immunizer achieved a high immune system response in adult animals, through the generation of high levels of neutralizing antibodies.
“The results showed that the vaccine is effective and that its development must be continued with new studies,” said Franciane Teixeira, another of those responsible for the project.
Despite the recent outbreaks of Zika in some American countries, there is still no vaccine to protect the body against the virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Text: Efe
Photo: Pablo La Rosa/ adhocFOTOS
2024-04-05 19:18:58
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