Is a broadly effective dengue vaccine even possible?

New Rochelle, NY, May 14, 2019–Dengue is on the rise, with about 20,000 patients dying each year from this mosquito-borne disease, yet despite ongoing efforts a broadly effective dengue vaccine is not available. The complex challenges, current status of dengue vaccine development, and whether an effective vaccine is even possible are the focus of a thought-provoking article published in Viral Immunology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article on the Viral Immunology website through June 14, 2019.

The article entitled “Effective Dengue Vaccines: A Pipe Dream?” was coauthored by Lázaro Gil and Laura Lazo, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Havana, Cuba. The authors note the 10-fold increase in dengue cases compared to the previous decade and review the efforts to develop a dengue vaccine, including extensive animal studies and clinical trials that led to approval of Sanofi-Pasteur’s Dengvaxia®. This vaccine, however, has a limited use profile, as it can actually increase the risk of severe dengue under some circumstances and cannot, for example, be given to children less than nine years of age. In light of the re-emergence of viral diseases such as measles, rubella, and polio, the authors suggest that a live attenuated dengue vaccine would likely require booster doses.

Based on the past experimental evidence, the authors conclude that an effective dengue vaccine is possible, but remains a substantial challenge, and they suggest rethinking several existing concepts in the ongoing effort to develop dengue vaccine candidates.

David L. Woodland, PhD, Editor-in Chief of Viral Immunology and Adjunct Member of the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, NY, states: “The recent Food and Drug Administration approval of the first licensed dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, is a major step forward in the control of dengue. But the disease is complex, and Dengvaxia can result in severe side effects in certain circumstances. The excellent review by Gil and Lazo highlights the complex issues surrounding dengue virus vaccines.”

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Viral Immunology is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published ten times per year in print and online. Topics cover both human and animal Viral Immunology, exploring viral-based immunological diseases, pathogenic mechanisms, and virus-associated tumor and cancer immunology. The Journal includes original research papers, review articles, and commentaries covering the spectrum of laboratory and clinical research and exploring developments in vaccines and diagnostics targeting viral infections. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Viral Immunology website.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, DNA and Cell Biology, and Health Security. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.