Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has isolated and mapped a comprehensive set of human antibodies targeting the measles virus, revealing new details about human immunity to measles. These antibodies may reduce the virus to undetectable levels in animal models, offering potential for developing antibody-based treatments, according to the study.
Measles cases have increased globally and in the United States, with over 470,000 cases reported worldwide in 2024 and at least 72 outbreaks in the U.S. since January 2025. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, no safe and effective therapies have received regulatory approval in the U.S., leaving vulnerable populations—such as immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, and infants—without treatment options.
Led by Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, the team isolated memory B cells from a donor vaccinated for measles three times. They engineered and purified more than 100 individual human monoclonal antibodies, each targeting a specific site on the measles virus. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers produced atomic-resolution structural maps showing antibodies bound to the virus's two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (H) and Fusion (F), identifying nine distinct target sites.
This study challenges previous assumptions based largely on mouse antibodies and indirect methods by providing detailed characterization of the human antibody response. According to NIH, these findings offer a clear path toward antibody-based medicines that could protect or treat people unable to receive measles vaccination.