India’s First DNA Vaccine for Dengue

The first and only Dengue Fever DNA vaccine candidate in India has been created by scientists at India's National Centre for Biological Sciences in partnership with nine other institutions in India, Africa, and the US.
In early tests on mice, the candidate elicited a potent immune response and increased survival rates following illness exposure.

About Dengue Vaccine

The four strains of dengue are DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. The most prevalent strain in India is DEN-2. Dengue vaccines are challenging to produce since they must be effective against all 4 strains.
Only two dengue vaccinations have been given the go-ahead as of yet.
Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical firm, produces Dengvaxia. However, it can only be used by those who have already experienced Dengue or who reside in a region where the bulk of the population has already contracted the disease. This vaccine may raise the risk of developing severe dengue in those who have never had the infection.
Qdenga: Made by the Japanese business Takeds, it can be used by those without a history of infection.

A DNA vaccine is what?

A DNA vaccine is a type of vaccination that stimulates an immune response using a short bit of DNA from a pathogen, such as a virus or bacterium, that codes for a particular antigen (a molecule that causes an immunological response).
Direct injection of the DNA into the body's cells causes the cells to get instructions to create the antigen.
After then, the immune system identifies the antigen as foreign and launches an immunological reaction against it, aiding in the development of pathogen immunity.
Third-generation vaccines are DNA vaccines.
The DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D is the first of its kind in the world and was developed exclusively in India.

About Dengue

The viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that spreads the fastest worldwide is dengue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that roughly 2.5 billion people live in dengue-endemic countries and that there are an estimated 50 million dengue illnesses per year.
Dengue places a heavy financial, social, and health impact on those living in endemic areas.

Dengue affects people at all social strata, although the cost may be greater for the poorest who live in areas with poor solid waste management and water infrastructure, as well as where the principal vector, Aedes aegypti, can thrive.

Source: The Hindu

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