A technology developed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), which combines two immunization strategies against dengue in the same vaccine, obtained a family of patents. Registrations granted in Brazil and the United States in 2019 expand the list that already includes countries such as Cuba, China, Peru and Colombia. Patent deposits were made between 2009 and 2016, with applications remaining open in Ecuador, Chile and India.

Developed by researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) and the Institute of Technology in Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz), the method utilizes the DNA vaccine approach and the use of a chimeric yellow fever virus containing dengue genes. The combined approach addresses the immunological phenomena involved in dengue virus infection, such as the production of antibodies and the regulation of the cellular response. know more about the research.

The method was created by researchers Ada Maria de Barcelos Alves, from the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Physiology of Viral Infections of the IOC, Adriana de Souza Azevedo, graduate of the Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at IOC and Bio-Manguinhos expert Ricardo Galler and Marcos da Silva Freire, both from Bio-Manguinhos.

According to the researcher of IOC, the technology is now recognized as a Brazilian invention, with protected intellectual property. “The receipt of the patent underscores the international recognition of the leading role of Fiocruz in the studies of the combined immunization strategy for dengue”, he stressed.