Scientific sources indicated on Friday that a vaccine against Zika developed by Brazilian researchers has proven effective against the virus in tests conducted on laboratory mice and is ready to undergo clinical trials.

The formula was highly effective in tests on mice and was able to prompt the body to generate an immune response against the pathogen and protect the animals from infection, according to the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), which funded part of the project.

The good results of the vaccine in pre-clinical tests were highlighted in the latest issue of the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology.

The vaccine was developed by scientists from the University of São Paulo and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the largest health research center in Brazil, using promising techniques for processing nucleic acids (DNA).

The researcher from the University of California said: “When we talk about vaccines, we generally think of inoculating weakened or inactivated viruses. But DNA vaccines are a more advanced technology that has developed over the past thirty years and has become a powerful therapeutic platform.” São Paulo from the University of the South Pacific and project coordinator, Maria Sato, are featured in the Fapesp Bulletin.

Despite the recent outbreak of the Zika virus in some American countries, there is still no vaccine that protects the body from the virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.