ACT is currently targeting its Artificial Virus synthetic vaccine development on two infectious diseases for which there is not currently an effective vaccine:

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), causes ear infections and lower respiratory infections in infants and is as significant an infection in the elderly as influenza. RSV is the cause of one-fifth of all lower respiratory tract infections worldwide. Healthcare costs associated with RSV are significant, with estimated total direct medical costs for RSV-associated infant hospitalizations averaging $750M per year in the U.S. alone. A successful RSV vaccine would have an annual market potential of more than $1B globally. There are currently no approved vaccines for RSV, and with no effective treatment available and the only preventative medication considered too expensive to be widely used, the need for an effective vaccine is high.

Dengue Fever (DF), sometimes called “breakbone fever' because of the pain associated with the disease, is a flu-like illness characterized by high fever, severe headaches, joint and muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. Dengue fever typically develops five to six days after an infected mosquito bites an individual. As the fever progresses, a rash develops on the arms and legs, and this may be associated with itching or peeling of the skin. The duration of the illness is, on average, 10 days but full recovery can take up to four weeks. A potentially fatal complication is dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). This is a more severe form of the disease when the patient's condition deteriorates after the first few days of the fever. Hemorrhagic complications such as bruising easily, bleeding from the nose or gums and internal hemorrhaging can occur. This can led to circulatory failure, shock and, in some cases, death. Some 2.5 billion people are now at risk from dengue. While there are only between 100 to 200 suspected cases of dengue infection in the US each year, there are approximately 50 million dengue infections each year worldwide and more than 500,000 cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF).