Sorely Needed Dengue Vaccine Gets a Boost from Immune Profiling Source: Pixabay May 26, 2021 A new study in the journal Nature Communications compares changes in gene expression in immune cells in humans before, during, and after infection with a partially weakened Dengue virus (rDEN2Δ30, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02021968). Live, weakened or “attenuated” viruses are the basis for the most effective and durable vaccines against many viral diseases. The study finds that while the expression of some inflammatory genes, such as genes for type I interferon and viral restriction pathways, increases when the virus is present in blood and returns to baseline upon virus clearance, the expression of other genes that code for immune regulatory factors, in immune cells such as antibody-producing cells, remain at elevated levels even when the virus is no longer in the patient’s bloodstream.