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The recent discovery that Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause severe neurologic disease in both neonates and adults has prompted major efforts to develop an effective vaccine against this flavivirus. Several candidate vaccines have been demonstrated to induce protective antibodies in mice and nonhuman primates (NEJM JW Infect Dis Sep 2016 and Science 2016 Aug 4; [e-pub]). Now, a new ZIKV DNA vaccine that targets viral premembrane and envelope proteins has been shown to elicit an immune response in humans. In this phase 1 manufacturer-supported study, 40 participants were randomized to receive 1 or 2 mg of vaccine in 3 doses delivered by intradermal injection followed by local electroporation to increase immunogenicity.
By week 14 (2 weeks after the …