Walter Reed Scientists Test Zika Vaccine Candidate

WRAIR is working on the vaccine in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, including theBiomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority — part of the Department of Health and Human Services — and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It is also exploring collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, Thomas said.

The vaccine will contain a killed strain of the virus that is circulating now in South America, he added.

“This is not something like dengue, where there are four dengue virus types and you have to include every type,” he explained. “We feel pretty comfortable that for an initial vaccine construct, a single strain will be sufficient. We believe that it’s a good idea [to use] the strain that is causing the congenital syndromes and neurologic defects appearing in that region.”

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