Zika Archives

In Depth 14 Apr 2023

mRNA vaccines: a promising future

In 1978, nearly two decades after the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA), the concept of a vaccine made from mRNA was materialized. Like its name suggests, mRNAs are messengers that aid in decoding genetic information from DNA to synthesize proteins, a key cellular function. Previous attempts at developing a vaccine using mRNA failed because mRNA […]

April 14, 2023 - 7 minutesmins - By Roohi Mariam Peter

More News! 20 Nov 2018

Phase I Gives Hope for First Zika Vaccine

Results from a Phase I trial showed promising safety and efficacy of a potential first vaccine against the mosquito-borne Zika virus, developed by French biotech Valneva and US biopharma Emergent BioSolutions. In the US-based Phase I trial, 67 participants were injected with either placebo or inactivated forms of the virus as a vaccine. Two months later, […]

November 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 22 Jan 2018

No More Mosquito Bites? Targeting These Genes Could Prevent Future Outbreaks!

Researchers may have found a way to stop the female mosquitoes from biting you, which could help to prevent the spread of diseases like malaria. Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK and the University of Notre Dame in Paris, along with collaborators in the US, have identified 902 genes specific to blood-feeding mosquitoes […]

January 22, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale

In Depth 25 Jul 2017

Trouble in Paradise: How Biotech is Fighting Tropical Diseases

Tropical diseases are often neglected until an outbreak causes worldwide panic. Here’s how European biotech is preparing for the next one. “What we really need is a very fast and cheap way to develop vaccines,” biotech godfather Greg Winter told me earlier this year. Such precautionary measures may well be on our minds as Europe […]

July 25, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner

Interview 21 Jun 2017

Video: Can Synbio Cure Malaria? – Fireside Chat with Oxitec’s CEO Hadyn Parry

In our fireside chat with Hadyn Parry, Clara had the chance to hear all about Oxitec’s exciting technology that could save us from Dengue and Zika. Oxitec’s GM mosquitoes have the potential to halt epidemics of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika or Dengue, which according to Hadyn are actually causing more problems every year. As Hadyn explained, “we’re […]

June 21, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida

Interview 5 Jun 2017

What Lies Ahead in Biotech for the UK’s Top Academic Entrepreneur?

Despite remaining firmly in academia, Greg Winter is a biotech legend. What’s ahead for the serial entrepreneur, and where does he see biotech going? Sir Greg Winter is one of the biggest names in European biotech. As a Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge University, he developed phage display technology that became the foundation of his first […]

June 5, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner

News and Trends 8 May 2017

French Researchers Discover a Target to Prevent Zika Birth Defects

Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the Inserm have identified a protein target that, when overexpressed, can block Zika infections. The recent Zika epidemics in the Pacific and South America has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a state of global emergency. One of the biggest concerns at the moment is that the […]

May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández

News and Trends 3 Apr 2017

New Results Show GM Mosquitoes Keep Dengue and Zika at Bay in Brazil

In its second year, Oxitec has reduced the mosquito population in a Brazilian neighborhood by 81%, demonstrating the long-term potential of GM insects. Oxitec is a spin-out from the University of Oxford that fights infectious disease with genetically-engineered mosquitoes that produce inviable offspring. The company has already made field trials in the Cayman Islands, Panama, Brazil, […]

April 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández

News and Trends 20 Feb 2017

CEVEC is Transforming Vaccine Development starting with Zika

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals recently partnered up with NewLink Genetics to use its CAP technology for the development of new vaccines against the Zika virus. We had the opportunity to ask CEVECs CSO a few questions about how their technology can transform vaccine development. CEVEC Pharmaceuticals is developing high-quality platforms for the efficient and safe production of glycosylated proteins, viral vaccines and […]

February 20, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By External Contributor

News and Trends 25 Jan 2017

Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes will arrive in India to fight Dengue

Oxitec is preparing to start trials testing its solution to reduce the population of disease-transmitting insects in India with its own genetically modified mosquitoes. Oxitec, a spin-out from Oxford University, engineers mosquitoes to reduce their populations in areas where they spread infectious diseases. After success in Brazil and the Cayman Islands, the company is now heading […]

January 25, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández

News and Trends 27 Oct 2016

Oxitec scales up Mosquito production with a new Factory in Brazil

Since Brazil became the first country in the world to deploy GM mosquitos, Oxitec has opened a factory there to produce its Friendly Aedes aegypti. Oxitec has opened a large-scale mosquito factory in Piracicaba, Brazil, to scale up production of their Friendly Aedes aegypti mosquitos. These mosquitos are effectively sterilized so they don’t transmit infectious […]

October 27, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner

News and Trends 2 Sep 2016

Vienna-based Themis Bioscience frontlines vaccine development against emerging diseases

From Switzerland, we depart once again, this time for Vienna. This week, we are visiting Themis Bioscience, our Biotech of the Week (and also stopping for schnitzel). City: Vienna, Austria Founded: 2009 Employees: 4 Financial Data: €10M Total Raised (as of 12/2015) CEO: Erich Tauber Mission: Themis Bioscience targets emerging diseases, like Zika and Chikungunya, and aims to develop […]

September 2, 2016 - 1 minutemin - By Evelyn Warner

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