Experts to soon test new Zika vaccine in humans

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: US health officials have announced that they would soon be testing a new Zika vaccine in humans.

According to some officials, this new vaccine is said to be a needle-free DNA vaccine and this step comes at a time when most parts of the world are seeing a rise in the number of Zika cases.

As a part of an early study run by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), about 80 volunteers in the US aged 18 to 35 will receive the NIAID Zika virus investigational DNA vaccine.

If the vaccine appears safe and produces a good immune response against the virus, researchers plan to start a Phase 2 trial in 2017 in countries where Zika outbreaks are occurring, said Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID.

The vaccine contains a small, circular piece of DNA called a plasmid. Within that plasmid are genes that code for certain Zika virus proteins, 'Live Science' reported.

(With IANS inputs)