Dengue: A single vaccine candidate for all strains An antibody-vaccine candidate has been discovered that neutralizes and confers protection against all four strains of dengue virus. Katja Fink, of the Singapore Immunology Network and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, describes this as the first time a highly neutralizing antibody has shown efficacy against all four strains. Fink’s team, consisting of scientists from institutions across the country, tested the candidate (SIgN-3C-LALA) in both pre-exposure and post-exposure mouse models. The findings showed it reduced blood-virus levels, protected from lethal infection, and also offered improved safety—without compromising efficacy—the latter by way of intentional mutations to the antibody’s structure. As the global cost of dengue treatment is as high as 9 billion US$ per year, further study is needed to evaluate the suitability of the antibody candidate for the treatment of dengue in humans.
