Funded by the National Institutes of Health, SLU will test a vaccine candidate made from an inactive strain of the Zika virus to prevent infection. The investigation vaccine, called ZPIV, is being developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS.
A clinical trial will be conducted at SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development.
SLU’s trial is recruiting 90 healthy adults ages 18 to 49 for the Phase 1 clinical trial in St. Louis.
"We need a vaccine to protect people from this emerging infectious disease that can cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects in babies," said George, who is an associate professor of infectious diseases at SLU.
Health experts say Zika is spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which also transmit dengue, chikungunya, and other viruses. Zika can also be sexually transmitted. The most significant health problems related to Zika infection affect unborn babies, whose mothers contract the virus during pregnancy. The virus may be deadly for these babies, who also are at risk of developing serious complications such as microcephaly and other problems.
To learn more about the vaccine research being conducted at Saint Louis University, call 314-977-6333 or email vaccine@slu.edu.
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