Zika Vaccines Protect Mouse Fetuses

The first-of-its-kind study follows on the heels of ethicists’ urging vaccine developers to conduct clinical trials in pregnant women.

Written byAggie Mika
| 6 min read

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ISTOCK, DENBOMA

Pregnant women and their children bear the destructive brunt of Zika, and since appreciating the connection between prenatal viral infection and the irreparable fetal harm associated with Congenital Zika Syndrome, independent groups of scientists are taking initial steps toward protecting those most vulnerable.

In a first-of-its-kind study published today (July 13) in Cell, researchers demonstrated that in mice, either of two vaccines—a live attenuated virus and a non-replicating, modified mRNA vaccine—can impede Zika transmission from mother to baby in utero. These data come two weeks after a multi-disciplinary collaborative of bioethicists, physicians, and immunologists published a set of guidelines outlining ...

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