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Scientists have for the first time cloned the Zika virus, a development that could bring a desperately needed vaccine within closer reach.

The mosquito-borne virus -- which can also be sexually transmitted -- has torn through Latin America in recent months, bringing an increase in microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

A team from the The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was able to genetically engineer Zika, so researchers can now make the virus in test tubes and on Petri dishes, according to a study (PDF) published Monday.

Lead author Pei-Yong Shi said his team's manmade Zika means scientists can study and adapt the virus to develop a vaccine. It could also be used to test the efficacy of their own vaccines.

The team was able to infect mosquitoes with the cloned virus as well as mice, which went on to develop neurological diseases.

"What we've created is something that is reproducible, meaning that batches of this virus can be made in large quantities," Shi said.

He said that if scientists are able to adapt the virus to make a safe vaccine, trials on animals could start soon and clinical trials could start as early as next year.

"But of course this will depend on whether we see serious side effects. We don't even know yet what the full impact of Zika is, besides microcephaly and some other neurological diseases," Shi said.

Some scientists have been researching the virus in mouse models to learn more about how it behaves and how it leads to devastating neurological deficits. The hope there too is that this is a starting point toward the development of a treatment and vaccine.

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By Angela Dewan

Source: CNN.com