Measles is Making a Comeback

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but that progress is now at risk. As vaccination rates have dropped, measles cases have risen, with the country seeing the highest levels since 1991. The disease remains highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, especially for young children.

Why Explore a Treatment?

The MMR vaccine is highly effective and remains the best protection against measles, and it is still highly effective. With increasing cases, researchers are exploring a treatment option for people who are infected.

What Researchers are Testing

At Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, researchers will test a potential measles treatment using monoclonal antibodies. This lab-made protein is designed to interfere with the virus before it can enter cells and spread.

Unlike many antiviral drugs which target viruses after they have already entered cells, monoclonal antibodies can block infection earlier in the process. They attach to specific parts of the virus and stop it from getting into the body’s cells. Monoclonal antibodies may also help reduce viral load and support the immune response after infection has begun.

Next Steps

The antibody being studied, called mAb 77, was developed by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Columbia University. It showed promise in lab and rodent studies, and Texas Biomed will now test it in juvenile rhesus monkeys. If those results are consistent, the treatment could eventually move into human clinical trials.

Will this Treatment Replace Vaccines?

Measles once caused millions of deaths each year before the vaccine became widely available. Today, the vaccine can prevent most cases after two doses. Researchers say a treatment could be helpful especially for those who are immunocompromised or too young to be vaccinated, but the larger lesson is clear: vaccination remains the simplest and most effective way to stop measles from spreading in the first place.