DNA Vaccine Against Dengue:
India’s first prospective DNA vaccine against dengue is under clinical trials.
- The DNA vaccine has been in development since 2019 by scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, in collaboration with nine institutions in India, Africa, and the US.
- DNA vaccines use engineered DNA to induce an immunologic response in the host against bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
- The basic working principle behind DNA vaccine involves the use of a DNA plasmid that encodes for a protein that originated from the pathogen in which the vaccine will be targeted.
- DNA vaccine will avoid extracellular degradation and successfully enter the nucleus of target cells to induce a long-term immune response.
- It is considered to be more stable, cost-efficient, and easier to handle than traditional vaccines.
Dengue disease:
- Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
- The primary vectors that transmit the disease are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
- The virus responsible for causing dengue is called the dengue virus (DENV).
- It can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
