Zika virus vaccines

Abstract

The recent epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas has revealed the devastating consequences of ZIKV infection, particularly in pregnant women. Congenital Zika syndrome, characterized by malformations and microcephaly in neonates as well as developmental challenges in children, highlights the need for the development of a safe and effective vaccine. Multiple vaccine candidates have been developed and have shown promising results in both animal models and phase I clinical trials. However, important challenges remain for the clinical development of these vaccines. In this Progress article, we discuss recent preclinical studies and lessons learned from first-in-human clinical trials with ZIKV vaccines.

Figure 1.

The Zika virus particle and genome. Structural proteins Capsid (CAP), premembrane (prM), Envelope (ENV) and Non Structural proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B and NS5) are flanked by 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions (UTRs). Zika virus packages a single positive-strand RNA copy in an enveloped virus particle assembled by the structural genes. The non-structural genes are involved in viral replication and immune evasion. The primary target of neutralizing antibodies is the envelope, which together with the membrane protein is properly folded to display binding epitopes.