Professor Natth Bhamarapravati. The world’s first immunization of a tetravalent dengue vaccine in children, 1992

Abstract

Dengue vaccine research and development in Thailand was pioneered at the Center for Vaccine Development of Mahidol University by the late Professor Natth Bhamarapravati in 1980. Thanks to his vision, Mahidol University has been recognised as one of the World Leaders in the development of a vaccine for dengue. For the past two decades the work by Professor Sutee Yoksan has built on Professor Bhamarapravati’s legacy and his successful interventions and breakthroughs. Attenuation attempts developed by scientists at Mahidol University have been generally accepted to be the best reliable dengue vaccines approach to protect children against wild type dengue viruses circulating in nature. The university has successfully licensed dengue vaccine candidates to several vaccine manufactures including Pasteur Merieux serum et vaccin (now Sanofi Pasteur), Kaketsuken of Japan and Serum Institute of India. At present the University is now aiming to establish dengue vaccine production capability in Thailand.