DNA vaccine against Ebola virus shows potent and long-term efficacy in pre-clinical studies

DNA vaccines are safe and offer an alternative to traditional vaccines for immunization of vulnerable at-risk populations A novel synthetic DNA vaccine, developed based on technology pioneered by scientists at The Wistar Institute Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, offers complete protection from Zaire Ebolavirus (EBOV) infection in promising pre-clinical research. Study results were published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Ebola virus infection causes a severe hemorrhagic fever that has a 50% fatality rate, according to the World Health Organization. Recent advances have led to the development of promising experimental vaccine candidates that may be associated with side effects and/or may not be applicable in specific vulnerable populations, such as children, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. In addition, there is a need to boost these vaccines to provide long-term protection. Using a unique approach, Wistar scientists designed optimized synthetic DNA vaccine candidates targeting a virus surface protein called glycoprotein. They demonstrated efficacy of...