21-June-2016
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first human tests of an experimental Zika virus vaccine, the makers of the drug announced on Monday.
Called GLS–5700, the medication will be used in a clinical trial
involving 40 healthy people, and represents the first major step towards
ultimately immunizing people against Zika – which was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February.
GLS–5700 works by stimulating the body's immune system to defend itself
against Zika. Synthetic fragments of viral DNA are injected into the
skin, prompting the immune system's T cells to generate antibodies to fight the infection.
It's worth pointing out that just because GLS–5700 has reached human
testing, there's no guarantee it will turn out to safely immunize people
against Zika. The vaccine has been tested successfully in small and large
animal models, but clinical trials in humans could take several years
to demonstrate that the treatment is safe, and there's no guarantee it
will ultimately prove effective or make it through subsequent testing
phases.
GLS–5700 isn't the only Zika vaccine candidate currently in development.It has been reported that at least one company in India and one in France are expected to begin human trials later this year.
