New antibody offers possible dengue fever relief – Taipei Times
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Tue, Jul 21, 2026 page4
New antibody offers possible dengue fever relief
- By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
A research team from the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has identified the mechanism behind the severe inflammatory response triggered by dengue virus infection and developed a bispecific antibody that blocks it, showing promise as a treatment for dengue fever
The research team was led by NCKU Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology professor Wang Jen-ren (王貞仁) and NHRI Immunology Research Center Distinguished Investigator Hsieh Shie-liang (謝世良)
The team said an estimated 390 million dengue virus infections occur worldwide each year, with about 96 million people developing symptoms and approximately 500,000 progressing to severe disease, resulting in about 22,000 deaths annually
National Health Research Institutes president Sytwu Huey-kang, second from right, poses for a photograph with other experts during a news conference in the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taipei yesterday
In 2015, a DENV-2 dengue fever outbreak in Taiwan resulted in 43,000 confirmed cases and 228 deaths, the country’s largest dengue outbreak in decades
NHRI President Sytwu Huey-kang (司徒惠康) said at a news conference yesterday at the Ministry of Health and Welfare that dengue fever remains a public health challenge that is difficult to control
Patients might initially experience only a mild fever, but it is often followed by symptoms such as pain behind the eyes and joint pain, he said. In some cases, the condition can lead to dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome
There is no vaccine to effectively prevent dengue fever, and clinical treatment relies mainly on supportive care, Hsieh said
During dengue infection, activation of immune cells drives excessive production of pro-inflammatory factors, contributing to fever, he said
The pathogenesis of severe dengue is widely believed to involve dengue virus-induced overactivation of immune cells, which triggers a cytokine storm. The excessive release of cytokines increases vascular permeability, leading to plasma leakage, dengue shock syndrome and organ dysfunction, he added
Hsieh said their study confirmed that the severe inflammatory response triggered by dengue virus infection is not driven by a single immune receptor, but by the combined action of two immune receptors
The team demonstrated that simultaneously blocking CLEC5A and TLR2 can effectively suppress the excessive inflammatory response caused by dengue virus. They designed and developed a bispecific antibody capable of targeting both receptors at the same time, he said
Wang said experiments showed that the bispecific antibody reduced various inflammatory responses associated with severe dengue caused by all four major dengue virus serotypes, as well as some strains carrying mutations linked to severe disease
The team said the antibody could be a novel treatment for severe dengue fever and might have applications against Zika virus and Japanese encephalitis
The NHRI said the research findings were published this month in the Journal of Biomedical Science
Separately, the Chiayi City Government Health Bureau yesterday confirmed the city’s first imported dengue fever case, involving a student who had returned from Vietnam
The student traveled to Vietnam during summer vacation and developed fever, headache and pain behind the eyes last Wednesday before testing positive for dengue fever on Saturday, the bureau said
The bureau sprayed the area within a 100m of the victim’s home, increased mosquito density surveys and removed possible breeding sites. It advised residents to eliminate standing water and take precautions against mosquito bites, especially during dengue season
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