GenScript, a global supplier of gene-synthesis services, is rushing to develop and deliver DNA constructs as part of the response against the recent outbreak of Zika virus.
These DNA constructs, which will be sent to research institutions and governmental agencies, will be part of vaccine development to prevent the virus.
The virus is spread through bites from
infected Aedes mosquitoes. The virus has been steadily increasing in infection rates since 2015, and the latest outbreak involves the Americas.
Unfortunately, most Zika infections do not have symptoms, but women who are pregnant and who have Zika infections are connected to having babies with microcephaply, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder.
“Time is of the essence when facing the outbreak of a virus like Zika,” Dr. Heidi Huang, GenScript’s senior service marketing manager, said. “It’s important to be able to deliver the bioreagents that researchers need for vaccine development with high quality and rapid speed. That’s why we developed express gene synthesis technologies that can deliver DNA constructs in as few as four business days, the fastest turnaround time in the industry. It helps researchers decrease vaccine development time and significantly improve their response time to pandemics, saving lives in the process.”
