Singapore Univ., U.S. Company Partner on Vaccines

Inviragen Inc. in Fort Collins, Colorado and the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) announced a partnership to research the transmission and prevention of infectious diseases. Their first  project will involve research and development of vaccines against diseases such as dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, and chikungunya.

Dengue infection is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. As many as 100 million people are infected yearly, and  is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness of infants and children. HFMD causes fever and blister-like eruptions in the mouth and/or a skin rash.

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus infection can cause a debilitating illness, most often characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, rash, and joint pain. The term ‘chikungunya’ means ‘that which bends up’ in the Kimakonde language of Mozambique.

Duke-NUS is a collaboration between the Duke University School of Medicine, located in Durham, North Carolina and the National University of Singapore.

Read more: Dengue Vaccine in Phase 3 Clinical Trial

Photo: Germán Meyer/Flickr

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