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ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Insect protection

Live but non-replicating vaccines, courtesy of insects

January 5, 2017 8:18 PM UTC

By forcing an insect virus that does not infect humans to express clinically relevant viral antigens, a Texas team is creating vaccines that are as immunogenic as live pathogens, without the danger of causing disease. The group is test-driving the platform on the neglected tropical disease Chikungunya, with an eye to broadening its use for prevention and diagnosis of Zika, West Nile and other viral infections.

To create the platform, the team, led by University of Texas’ Scott Weaver, generated a chimera of two alphaviruses, incorporating genes encoding Chikungunya virus structural polyprotein (CHIKVgp2) into the backbone of the insect-specific Eilat virus. In a December Nature Medicine study, Weaver’s group showed the chimera protected mice and macaques from Chikungunya infection (see Distillery, Infectious Disease: Chikungunya Virus)...