Synthetic antibody rapidly protects mice and monkeys from Zika

A DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody prevents Zika infection in mice and non-human primates, researchers report April 5th in the journal Molecular Therapy. Injections of synthetic DNA encoding the potent anti-Zika monoclonal antibody ZK190 resulted in high production of ZK190 for weeks to months, effectively controlling infection in all animals. The new platform for monoclonal-antibody gene delivery and expression, called DMAb-ZK190, may be valuable for conferring rapid, transient preventative protection against Zika infection in high-risk populations.