Hawaii Biotech, Inc. was awarded a three-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to continue development of a vaccine to protect healthy individuals from tick-borne encephalitis.

Hawaii Biotech also is conducting research on vaccine candidates for dengue virus and West Nile virus.
“This support will allow us to complete preclinical development and move forward towards clinical testing of our tick-Borne encephalitis vaccine candidate,” said Elliot Parks, CEO of Hawaii Biotech, Inc.
Tick-borne encephalitis, also known as spring-summer encephalitis, is present in many parts of Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Asia,” according to a news release from Hawaii Biotech.
TBE is caused by a virus, which is a member of the family Flaviviridae that also includes dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, and yellow fever viruses. The TBE virus is mainly transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. TBE is most commonly recognized as a neurological disease, but mild febrile forms of illnesses can also occur,” according to the release. Infection of the central nervous system can result in severe neurological symptoms and, in rare cases, death.