Mining Dengue Virus Immunopeptidome for Next-Generation Vaccine
This project is paving the way for a next-generation dengue vaccine that provides broad protection against all four virus types. We achieve this by analyzing the virus at the molecular level to identify key regions (epitopes) that consistently trigger strong immune responses across diverse populations.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, causes severe flu-like symptoms and can lead to lethal complications. Globally, dengue accounts for over 400 million infections and 20,000 deaths annually, with Nepal experiencing increasing outbreaks. Current vaccines, Dengvaxia and Qdenga, provide limited protection against all four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes, creating an urgent need to explore novel molecular targets for vaccine development.
Our goal is to develop broad-spectrum dengue vaccine candidates by systematically identifying T-cell and B-cell epitopes (virus regions that activate different parts of the immune system) that are highly conserved across all four serotypes and relevant to population variation. This approach ensures potential vaccines elicit strong, wide-ranging immune protection.
The project aims to develop broad-spectrum dengue vaccine candidates by systematically identifying T-cell and B-cell epitopes (virus regions that activate different parts of the immune system) that are highly conserved across all four virus types and relevant to population variation. This approach ensures potential vaccines elicit strong, wide-ranging immune protection.