New research has identified human antibodies that target the measles virus, which could help in the development of treatments for the virus, officials said on May 14.
“With measles cases increasing, we urgently need effective therapeutics to protect the most vulnerable,” Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, acting director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), said in a statement.
“This research gives us a clear picture for the first time of the most promising targets for antibody-based medicines that could protect or treat people for whom measles vaccination is not an option.”
The research, carried out by U.S. and Italian researchers with funding from NIH, pinpointed how and where human antibodies target and fight off measles virus by studying blood from a volunteer who had received a measles vaccine. They then tested the antibodies in experiments with rats….