mRNA vaccines for orthoflaviviruses
mRNA technologies offer speed, scalability, and flexibility, making them ideal for multivalent and outbreak-responsive vaccine strategies.
mRNA platforms have the potential to meet the urgent need for vaccines against orthoflaviviruses: pathogens responsible for widespread disease, and which impose a global health burden, but still lack broadly protective solutions.
Rational antigen design innovations in mRNA vaccines for orthoflaviviruses – such as fusion loop masking, domain III of envelope protein E (EDIII) targeting, and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) inclusion – enhance antigen specificity, immune durability, and safety.
Preclinical mRNA vaccines for Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), Powassan virus (POWV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) elicit potent humoral and cellular immunity, achieving full protection in animal models.
Moderna’s mRNA-1893 ZIKV vaccine has demonstrated safety and durable neutralizing antibody responses in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials, representing a major advance toward potential licensure and public health use.
https://www.cell.com/trends/immunology/fulltext/S1471-4906(25)00249-2
