The Dengue virus has been primarily studied in mouse models in order to gain an understanding of how the virus infects and then how the immune response clears the infection. The lab of Dr. Aravinda de Silva is leading a breakthrough on the understanding of human responses in Dengue virus infections. In collaboration with Vanderbilt University, Dr. de Silva and his lab isolated antibodies from patients who have been infected with and subsequently cleared of Dengue virus. In utilizing these antibodies, they were able to identify a complex region of the virus that is recognized specifically in a human response and is not recognized in a mouse response. This finding allows an entirely new avenue of investigation to open up into finding a vaccine that can fully protect against this deadly infection. For more information on this topic, click here. To read the PNAS journal article, click here.