New antibody against Zika
You’ve likely seen the great deal of coverage the media has been giving to the Zika virus recently – and here at CiteAb we have just listed our first anti-Zika antibody for use in research.
Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitos, causing symptoms similar to the flu which can last for around a week.
Sadly in Brazil, local health authorities have observed a concerning increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome which coincided with Zika virus infections in the general public, as well as an increase in babies born with microcephaly in northeast Brazil.
As a result, substantial amounts of new research has been carried out, strengthening the association between the Zika infection and the occurrence of fetal malformations and neurological disorders. However, more investigation is needed to better understand the relationship.[1]
We can see that there is a demand for antibodies for Zika research as Zika, is appearing in our search logs. The new Anti-Zika Virus Envelope Protein (E) Gene antibody supplied by Kerafast is currently the only hit.
Anti-Zika Virus Envelope Protein (E) Gene Antibody is isolated from human serum and contains polyclonal antibodies induced by natural infection with Zika virus (ZIKV) and recognizes human Zika virus envelope (E) protein. The antibody was raised by the laboratory of James E. Crowe Jr., MD, of Vanderbilt University.
According to suppliers Kerafast, current validation of the antibody has shown that it reacts with human Zika virus envelope (E) protein, determined by binding in ELISA to a recombinant form of the extracellular domain of Zika virus E protein, and is suitable for ELISA and Virus Neutralization applications.
Dr Andrew Chalmers said: “In the short period of time since this new antibody was added to CiteAb we have seen Zika appear in search logs, demonstrating that researchers are doing work in this field and that we’ve been able to help them find the antibody they’re looking for. I have no doubt that other anti-Zika antibodies will be released providing more tools for researchers; we will list them as soon as possible.”
To find out more about Zika virus see the WHO webpages on the disease here, and do add a comment below if you are one of those currently working with this new antibody, tell us how you’ve found it and whether there are others you require for your research.
– David and the CiteAb team
References:
[1] For further information on the Zika virus see the WHO website at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/
