Dengue Fever

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, poses a significant threat to global health, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. By harnessing our expertise and resources, our company is committed to advancing the development of vaccines and therapies for dengue fever.

Introduction to Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is an acute infectious disease transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The virus has four distinct serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), and infection by one serotype provides lifelong immunity to that specific serotype but only short-term cross-protection against the others. This cross-protection can sometimes lead to more severe disease upon subsequent infection with a different serotype, a phenomenon known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).

Fig.1 Genome organization and membrane topology of dengue virus. (Khetarpal N., et al., 2016)

Endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, dengue fever manifests as a severe febrile illness, characterized by high fever, severe headache, retro-orbital pain, myalgia, arthralgia, and rash. In severe cases, it can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS), which can be fatal if not promptly managed. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about 390 million dengue infections annually, with approximately 96 million manifesting clinically.

Vaccine Development for Dengue Fever

Live-attenuated virus (LAV) vaccines, such as the tetravalent formulation by Sanofi Pasteur, are developed by weakening the virus through cell culture passaging or targeted mutations, offering robust and long-lasting immunity. In contrast, inactivated virus vaccines are treated to lose replicative ability while maintaining antigenicity, often requiring adjuvants for immune response enhancement. Recombinant subunit and viral vector vaccines target specific viral proteins or use other viruses to deliver Dengue antigens, respectively. Nucleic acid vaccines, including DNA and RNA types, introduce genetic material encoding Dengue virus antigens into host cells to stimulate an immune response.

Table 1 Dengue vaccine candidates are currently in different phases of clinical trials. (Khetarpal N., et al., 2016)

Therapeutics Development for Dengue Fever

Antiviral Agents

Currently, no specific antiviral drugs are approved for dengue therapeutics. However, numerous candidates are undergoing investigation:

• Nucleotide Analogues: Agents like favipiravir are being studied for their efficacy in inhibiting viral RNA synthesis.
• Protease Inhibitors: Compounds targeting dengue viral proteases are in preclinical stages, aiming to disrupt viral replication effectively.
• RNA Interference (RNAi): This innovative strategy employs small interfering RNA to target and degrade viral RNA, potentially reducing viral load significantly.

Immunomodulatory Therapies

Given the immune-mediated complications associated with dengue, immunomodulatory therapies are gaining traction:

• Monoclonal Antibodies: Research focuses on developing antibodies that specifically target dengue virus serotypes, which could enhance neutralization and provide therapeutic benefits.
• Cytokine Modulators: These agents aim to manage the dysregulated immune response often seen in severe dengue cases.

Our Services

Within our organization, comprehensive services for the development of dengue fever vaccines and therapies play a crucial role in tackling this pressing global health issue. Our team of experts from diverse disciplines utilizes advanced technologies and vast experience to drive forward the progress of pioneering solutions in this field.

Vaccine Development

• Live-attenuated Vaccine
• Inactivated Vaccine
• Toxoid Vaccine
• Viral Vector Vaccine
• Virus-like Particles Vaccine
• Protein Subunit Vaccine
• mRNA Vaccine
• DNA Vaccine

Therapeutic Development

• Small Molecule Drug Development Services
• Therapeutic mRNA Development Services
• Therapeutic Antibody Development Services
• Cell Therapy Development Services

Disease Models

• AG129 Mice
• Humanized Mice
• STAT1, STAT2, and Type 1 IFN Receptor Knockout Mice
• Swine Models (Yucatan Miniature Pig)
• Non-Human Primate (NHP) Models

Specializing in the delivery of essential preclinical research services, our expertise is pivotal in advancing the development of vaccines and therapies for dengue fever. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.