What is it about?
Mosquito-borne flaviviruses causing dengue and Zika are threats to national health and security particularly for those individuals living in tropical climates such as the Philippines, the neighboring Southeast Asian countries, and in subtropical areas. Using an algorithmic overlap-extension PCR design and procedure formulations, this paper was done to address the need to propagate synthetic DNAs that could be utilized for further flaviviral research, and which has laid the foundation to explore other approaches to anti-flaviviral (Dengue and Zika) infection control.
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Why is it important?
This research is so important because it provides a valuable reference in supplying synthetic DNAs that are virtually needed to address the dose-dependency concerns of DNA-based anti-dengue and anti-Zika vaccines. The prospect of expanding the value of DNA-based vaccine hinges on the availability of efficiently produced synthetic nucleotides. For the Philippines, this is indispensably needed as one alternative approach that may fill the gap of the largely controversial anti-dengue vaccination (using chimeric live-attenuated vaccine) that has been terminated in the country. Its outcome, once beneficial, can have exponential effect even to other countries with similarly-situated environment.
Perspectives
Science is collaboration. Because of this notion, we succeeded in our mutual goal of arriving at templates that could enhance the prospective value of efficiently producing synthetic or artificial DNAs that could be utilized for the prospect of undertaking DNA-based anti-dengue/anti-Zika vaccine formulations. In addition, this work has provided added inputs for understanding better the unique and troublesome handling of select notifiable, pathogenic flaviviruses. Prospects for further collaborative projects with renowned medical researchers in the tropics are now in progress with aspirations of coming-up with cooperative undertakings that could help advance the health protection of the vulnerable Philippine populace. This latter scenario once successful could likewise cover other similarly situated tropical/subtropical countries where mosquito-borne epidemics such as dengue and Zika fevers remain to be problematical.
Dr Gerry Amor Camer
University of Eastern Philippines
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Novel synthetic nucleotides of notifiable dengue (1–4), Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever and Zika flaviviruses, Future Science OA, November 2018, Future Science,
DOI: 10.4155/fsoa-2018-0081.
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