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Research of Prof. Daniel Růžek, groupleader of Laboratory of Arbovirology, Biology Centre CAS Institute of Parasitology, CZ has been focused on vector-borne viral diseases, their molecular biology, molecular epidemiology, and pathogenesis.
Recently, he has received the Award of the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic for the development of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis.
The Czech Republic is one of the countries with the highest incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in the world. Its consequences are often serious for patients.
Although there is a very effective and well-tolerated vaccination, no antiviral agent is yet available for the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis, and patients rely only on supportive care. An indisputable advantage of antibodies is also their preventive effect. In a preclinical study, the researchers genetically engineered these antibodies to extend their duration of action to 2 months. The future antibody drug would be used, for example, by travelers who are going to the area of tick-borne encephalitis and no longer have time for vaccination, especially when it is necessary to administer more doses of the vaccine at intervals.
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