Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is caused by the Japanese encephalitis Virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. Through our comprehensive service offerings, we are committed to advancing the scientific understanding of JEV and to bringing new solutions to the market.

Overview of Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a viral illness caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of the flavivirus family. The primary mode of transmission is through the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes, with pigs and wading birds acting as key amplifying hosts in the natural disease cycle. Endemic in various regions of Asia and the Western Pacific, JE results in an estimated 68,000 clinical cases annually. However, due to significant underreporting, actual figures could be closer to 175,000 cases. Clinical presentations of JE vary from mild flu-like symptoms to severe neurological complications, such as encephalitis, with a mortality rate of around 30% among symptomatic cases.

Fig.1 Transmission cycle of Japanese encephalitis virus. (Mulvey P., et al., 2021)

Vaccine Development for Japanese Encephalitis

The development of vaccines against JE has been a critical strategy in mitigating the disease's impact. Early vaccines were derived from mouse brains, but these have been largely replaced by safer, more effective cell culture-derived vaccines. The most widely used vaccine today is the live-attenuated SA14-14-2 strain, which has demonstrated high efficacy and the ability to induce long-lasting immunity.

Table 1 Vaccines against Japanese encephalitis. (Turtle L., et al., 2018)

Therapeutics Development for Japanese Encephalitis

Antiviral Agents

Various antiviral compounds have been evaluated for their efficacy against JEV. While none have received clinical approval, studies involving compounds such as ribavirin and favipiravir have shown potential in reducing viral loads in cell cultures and animal models. Continued exploration of these agents may yield effective therapeutics in the future.

Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies targeting JEV are a promising area of research. These therapies could offer passive immunity for high-risk populations or during outbreaks. While still in preclinical stages, initial findings indicate that monoclonal antibodies may neutralize the virus effectively, paving the way for future clinical applications.

Our Services

Our array of services is geared towards expediting the advancement of innovative and enhanced JE vaccines. This encompasses leveraging cutting-edge cell culture methodologies, employing genetic engineering for the development of recombinant vaccines, and assessing vaccine candidates in preclinical models.

Beyond vaccine development, our focus extends to the exploration and creation of new therapeutics for JE. This involves pinpointing potential drug contenders, scrutinizing their antiviral capabilities in vitro, and moving forward with promising agents into preclinical trials.

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

• Mouse Models of JEV Infection (General)
• Mouse-Adapted JEV Strains Infection Models
• Intraperitoneal (IP) Inoculation Models
• Intracerebral (IC) Inoculation Models

Preclinical research is a critical phase in the development of effective vaccines and therapies. At our company, we offer specialized preclinical research services tailored to Japanese Encephalitis. 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.