NS1-based Zika vaccine demonstrates promise in mice

Research presented at the American Society for Microbiology Microbe 2017 conference (1–5 June, LA, USA) has reported a novel Zika vaccine, which can induce 100% protection in mice after a single dose. This is the first vaccine to be based on the Zika virus non-structural protein 1 (NS1). The research team hope that by utilizing NS1, an antigen not presented on the viral surface, the vaccine will avoid the risks of antibody dependent enhancement, a phenomenon that has been observed in Zika virus and the related-flavivirus dengue. This vaccine constitutes a vector, the Modified Vaccinia Ankara virus, engineered to display...