title: Recent Advances in Development of DNA Vaccines Against Hepatitis C virus.
abstract: Hepatitis C is one of the foremost challenging diseases all over the world. No vaccine has been developed, yet against Hepatitis C virus (HCV). This is partly due to the high mutation rate in the HCV genome, which generates new genotypes and sub genotypes. A mass of efforts have been devoted for the development of an efficient vaccine against HCV. DNA Vaccines, an emerging field of Vaccinology, grasp strong potential to be the most reliable and efficient mode of vaccination in the future. This technology is under investigation currently. Incredibly diverse approaches have been applied as an endeavor to develop a potent DNA vaccine against HCV. The HCV structural genes and the virus like particles have been attempted and so far the results are quite promising in the Lab animals. As there is no proper animal model for HCV infection except chimpanzees, it is very difficult to articulate whether these vaccines will also be pertinent in humans or not. This review will focus on different approaches being used for the development of DNA vaccines, the major tribulations in designing a DNA vaccine against HCV as well as the future prospects for the improvement of under trials DNA vaccines developed against HCV.
authors.affiliation: NUST Center of Virology and Immunology, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.forename: Muhammad Ali A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Nosheen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riaz
keywords: DNA vaccines; HCV; Virus like particles