Battle against Zika Virus

Zika Virus

WHO/PAHO

With the rapid spread of Zika virus infection and the strong correlation between Zika virus infection among pregnant mothers and later microcephaly cases among their newborns (underdeveloped brain upon birth), World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding microcephaly and Zika infection in early 2016. While WHO announced that Zika was no longer a global "emergency", the risk assessment of Zika is still the same. The real meaning of it all is worse as this means Zika is here to stay, and we need a long-term strategy to control Zika virus infection. 

The Threat

Infant affected by Zika-related microcephaly. Diego Herculano/Brazil Photo Press/Latincontent 

Zika virus can spread through specific species of mosquitoes, and from infected mother to her unborn child. While Zika virus infection symptoms are mild, if any, in adults, it is no confirmed that  Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause severe brain damages in newborns and even death.

Zika virus infection is health and socioeconomic problems. The affected child needs constant check-ups with healthcare providers throughout their life.  The cost of proper cares for a child with birth defects can add up to millions of dollars throughout their life time—sadly a cost that not every family can afford. 

Shout out to Mr. Diego Herculano for the permission to use his powerful photograph here.  

The Solution

Mosquito control programs worldwide can help slow down the spread of Zika virus. But, that is not enough. At the moment, there is no effective drugs or vaccines to protect the fetuses. That is where we come in, we are trying to develop a way to prevent the spread of Zika virus from pregnant mother to her unborn child. Our bioengineering team is trying to developing a cell culture model to understand how Zika virus can pass from pregnant mother to her unborn child. With this model, we can further test our anti-Zika factors to see if they can block its transmission. 

We would like to reach out and raise awareness of the real danger of Zika virus. We are inviting you to be a part of our mission to combat Zika viruses. We hope that you guys are as SUPER excited about developing drugs that can block Zika virus transmission, and ending its threats among children once and for all.

SESH

We are launching our crowndfunding campaign soon. We were selected as one of the finalists to receive mentorship and help from The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) at World Health Organization to build capacity for public engagement, science communication and crowdfunding for science. TDR and us realize that this will allow the public to get a peek at what going on behind the lab door, how scientific research can help solve real-world problems and, more importantly, to get everyone involved in this effort to solve global problems concerning Zika virus infection. Your support will help us continue to invest in research and development to understand Zika virus transmission and how we can prevent its spread to our children.

In the mean time, keep up with our lab through updates and random thoughts--we have tons of these :) --on twitter @twiwatpanit594