Zika tests

The Zika virus (ZIKV) has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the ten emerging pathogens that pose the most serious risk due to their impact on human health. The severity of the disease caused by this virus, with neurological manifestations in children (congenital ZIKV, premature births, associated microcephaly, and death) and in adults (Guillain-Barré syndrome), the ease with which it is transmitted among humans (urban cycles and even transmission independent of mosquito bites), as well as its global geographic reach (more than 86 countries and territories affected, including the Canary Islands in the Macaronesia region, declared a Level 4 risk area for potential transmission by the ECDC and with more than 7,500 autochthonous cases), mean that Zika has such a significant social, economic, and health impact that the WHO considers combating its spread a priority. Thus, an R&D and development plan is needed to prepare a rapid and efficient response by creating solutions for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of a global pandemic. The ZIKAssays proposal aims to generate biotechnological tools: ZIKAV expression plasmids, purified recombinant proteins, non-replicating pseudoviruses, and viral expression cell systems, all aligned with the WHO's needs to meet the demand for research products, improve ZIKAV detection tests, develop antiviral drugs, and implement prophylaxis.

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ULL Team

• Judith Estévez Herrera
• Agustín Valenzuela Fernández