According to a story from Biotecnika, Penn Medicine & Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. have recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signaled its approval for the first clinical trial that will test a monoclonal antibody that has been encoded with DNA (DMab). This unique drug is intended to prevent Zika virus infection.
About The Zika Virus And Zika Fever
Infection with the Zika virus can cause an illness commonly referred to as Zika fever or Zika virus disease. The virus is transmitted by bites from mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. The virus is also sexually transmittable. In many instances, infection with the Zika virus does not cause symptoms, but when it does, these symptoms can include skin rash, headache, fever, red eyes, and joint pain. These symptoms usually appear for less than a week; the initial infection has not been linked to any fatalities. The virus can also cause birth defects like microcephaly if it is transmitted from a pregnant mother to her child. There is no effective vaccine for the Zika virus, but acetaminophen appears to help relieve symptoms. Some patients may develop the rare condition Guillain-Barre syndrome after their initial infection. Zika fever is generally more common in tropical climates, where Aedes mosquitoes are more common. To learn more about Zika, click here.
About DNA Encoded Monoclonal Antibodies (DMab)
DMabs work in a unique fashion compared to other monoclonal antibody drugs. With this type of therapy, the patient receives genetic code into their cells so that they can begin to produce unique antibodies against a given target, such as a pathogen like Zika virus. In a sense, their purpose is very similar to that of more conventional vaccines. If successful, they could play a major role in treating or preventing a number of serious diseases.
The development of this drug as a preventative treatment for Zika originated at The Wistar Institute, which received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for continuing the development of DMab technology so that it could be tested in clinical trials. This funding was received in 2016. The trial is expected to involve 24 healthy participants.
