In a study published in the journal Cell on November 18, a team led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have isolated an uncommon and ultrapotent antibody that can neutralize the pathogenic zika virus at early stages of infection during pregnancy in preclinical models.
Zika virus infected mothers pass the pathogen on to the unborn fetus, causing neurodevelopmental deficits such as abnormally small heads (microcephaly) in up to 14% infants. Protection against such dire possibilities clinically termed “congenital zika syndrome” can be provided through neutralizing antibodies such as the one discovered this study. At present, there are no approved vaccines against zika.
