science

Zika virus vaccine

Zika virus vaccine is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zika virus vaccine rather than just read about it. In short: A Zika virus vaccine is a vaccine designed to prevent the symptoms and complications of Zika virus infection in humans. Background As Zika virus infection of pregnant women may result in congenital defects in the newborn, the vaccine will attempt to protect against congenital Zika syndrome during the current or any future outbreak.

Key takeaways

Zika virus vaccine belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zika virus vaccine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zika virus vaccine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A Zika virus vaccine is a vaccine designed to prevent the symptoms and complications of Zika virus infection in humans.

Background As Zika virus infection of pregnant women may result in congenital defects in the newborn, the vaccine will attempt to protect against congenital Zika syndrome during the current or any future outbreak. As of April 2019, no vaccines have been approved for clinical use, however a number of vaccines are currently in clinical trials. The goal of a Zika virus vaccine is to produce specific antibodies against the Zika virus to prevent infection and severe disease. The challenges in developing a safe and effective vaccine include limiting side effects such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, a potential consequence of Zika virus infection. Additionally, as dengue virus is closely related to Zika virus, the vaccine needs to minimize the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection.

Prospects

DNA vaccine

As of March 31, 2017 a DNA vaccine has been approved for Phase 2 clinical trials in humans. The vaccine consists of a DNA plasmid encoding the E and PrM proteins which make up the outer protein coat of the Zika virus virion. Based on a previous platform used to develop a West Nile virus vaccine, the DNA vaccine is designed to assemble protein particles that mimic Zika virus and trigger the body's immune response.

Purified inactivated vaccine (ZPIV) A purified inactivated vaccine is currently under development by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. This vaccine is based on the same technology used to develop a vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis Virus. As the ZPIV vaccine contains inactivated Zika particles, the virus cannot replicate and cause disease in humans. U.S. Army researchers agreed to give Sanofi permission to develop the technology, but protest in Congress halted the venture. Initial results at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and at other hospitals involved in the early clinical trials were considered to be promising.

Live attenuated vaccine A live attenuated vaccine, in which the virus is genetically altered as to not cause disease in humans, is undergoing phase 1 clinical trials. This vaccine is based on the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, which has been approved for use in humans.

mRNA vaccine A modified mRNA vaccine developed in collaboration with Moderna Therapeutics containing the E and PrM proteins is undergoing concurrent phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

Viral vector-based vaccines Multiple vaccines are also being developed using safe, non-pathogenic, viruses as vectors for immunogenic Zika virus proteins. One phase 1 trial is using the Measles virus as a vector and was completed in April 2018. Another vaccine platform makes use of Adenovirus as a vector and phase 1 studies will be complete in 2019. Adenoviruses have been previously used as a vaccine platform for HIV and elicit a strong immune response. A chimeric Binjari-Zika vaccine is highly effective for immunization in mice.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zika virus vaccine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zika virus vaccine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zika virus vaccine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zika virus vaccine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zika virus vaccine

In research: Zika virus vaccine appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zika virus vaccine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zika virus vaccine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Vaccines, Zika virus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zika virus vaccine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Zika virus vaccine” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Zika virus vaccine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zika virus vaccine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zika virus vaccine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zika virus vaccine in simple terms?

A Zika virus vaccine is a vaccine designed to prevent the symptoms and complications of Zika virus infection in humans. Background As Zika virus infection of pregnant women may result in congenital defects in the newborn, the vaccine will attempt to protect against congenital Zika syndrome during t…

Why does Zika virus vaccine matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zika virus vaccine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zika virus vaccine.