Working towards a single-dose vaccine for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Rabies is nearly always fatal without prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
• Current PEP requires multiple vaccine doses over weeks, hindering adherence due to logistical barriers, especially in low-resource settings.
• Rabies causes ~59,000 deaths annually, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review emerging technologies for a single-dose rabies vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
• To address limitations of current multi-dose PEP protocols and improve treatment adherence.
• To assess the potential of novel vaccine strategies in rabies prevention.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of scientific literature.
• Searched PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published between January 2015 and August 2025.
• Focused on technologies advancing single-dose rabies vaccine development.

Main Results:

• Promising technologies include mRNA vaccines, controlled-release formulations, and microneedle delivery systems.
• These strategies aim to consolidate PEP into a single healthcare visit.
• While not yet clinically successful in humans, preclinical and early clinical data show potential.

Conclusions:

• Single-dose rabies vaccine strategies offer a promising solution to improve PEP adherence and reduce global rabies mortality.
• mRNA, controlled-release, and microneedle technologies are key areas of development.
• Further research and clinical trials are needed to achieve widespread implementation.