Adelaide researchers believe a vaccine they have developed for the Chikungunya virus could be adapted to help combat the Zika virus.

For the past four years, a team from the University of South Australia have been working with biotech company Sementis to develop a vaccine for the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus.

With pre-clinical studies showing the vaccine to be 100 percent effective, they believe it could – if adapted – prove a game changer in the battle against what could be the next global health epidemic.

“We think we're in a good position. We could be among the frontrunners for not only Zika virus but other emerging infectious diseases,” researcher professor John Hayball said.

“I think the work we've done with Chikungunya virus proves that our approach is rapid and effective and I think we're going to apply this in the case of the Zika virus.”

The researchers hope to extract genes from the Zika virus to create a safer version, which – when inserted in the body – would produce antibodies and create immunity.

The claim comes amid global concern over the virus, already believed to have spread to 23 countries, linked to serious complications including birth defects in Brazil.