A ‘SIGNIFICANT’ breakthrough in the battle to beat measles has been made by scientists developing new vaccines, sparking hopes of wiping out the disease for good.
American researchers have discovered exactly how a neutralising antibody can block the highly contagious virus.
They explained that when the measles virus meets a human cell, the viral machinery unfolds to reveal key pieces that allow it fuse itself into the host cell membrane.
Once the fusion process is complete, the human cell is a “goner” and it belongs to the virus.
Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in Califorina are working to develop new measles vaccines and therapeutics that stop this fusion process.
They recently used an imaging technique called cryo-electron microscopy to give a detailed picture of how a powerful antibody can neutralise the virus before it completes the fusion process.
Measles causes more childhood deaths than any other vaccine-preventable disease, and it’s also one of the most infectious viruses known
Dr Dawid Zyla
LJI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire said: “What’s exciting about this study is that we’ve captured snapshots of the fusion process in action.
“The series of images is like a flip book where we see snapshots along the way of the fusion protein unfolding, but then we see the antibody locking it together before it can complete the last stage in the fusion process.
“We think other antibodies against other viruses will do the same thing but have not been imaged like this before.”
The research team say their “promising” discovery – published in the journal Science – may prove important beyond measles as it is just one member of the larger paramyxovirus family, which also includes the deadly Nipah virus.
The Nipah virus is less contagious but has a much higher mortality rate than measles.
Study first author Dr Dawid Zyla, an LJI postdoctoral researcher, said: “What we learn about the fusion process can be medically relevant for Nipah, parainfluenza viruses, and Hendra virus.
“These are all viruses with pandemic potential.”
URGENT NEED FOR MEASLES TREATMENTS
Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease that tends to strike children the hardest.
Despite extensive vaccine efforts, the virus remains a major health threat.
There were 1,603 suspected measles cases in England and Wales in 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – a sharp rise from 735 cases in 2022 and 360 in 2021.
England has seen large clusters of measles across a number of regions since autumn 2023.
A recent UKHSA report says 1,985 laboratory confirmed measles cases were reported in England between October 2023 and June this year.
Thirty-six per cent of these were in London, 33 per cent in the West Midlands and 9 per cent in the East Midlands.
Most – about 63 per cent – were in children aged 10 and under.
Measles caused around 136,000 deaths around the world in 2022, with the victims mostly children under age five who were unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
Prof Saphire said: “Measles causes more childhood deaths than any other vaccine-preventable disease, and it’s also one of the most infectious viruses known.”
Dr Zyla added: “The current vaccine works well, but it cannot be taken by pregnant people or people with compromised immune systems.”
There is no specific treatment for measles, so researchers are looking for antibodies to use as an emergency treatment to prevent severe disease.
To better understand how the measles virus fuses with cells, the LJI team turned to an antibody called mAb 77.
Researchers have found that mAb 77 targets the measles fusion glycoprotein, the piece of viral machinery measles uses to enter human cells, via a specialised process called fusion.
The main symptoms of measles
MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.
The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later.
The first signs include:
- A high temperature
- A runny or blocked nose
- Sneezing
- A cough
- Red, sore, watery eyes
Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips.
A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.
The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.
Complications are rare, but measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, seizures, and sometimes death.
Source: NHS
The LJI team investigated exactly how the antibody combats the virus.
They found mAb 77 arrests the virus in the middle of the fusion process.
Now that they know how mAb 77 works, the research team hope the antibody could be used as part of a treatment “cocktail” to protect people against measles or to treat patients with active measles infection.
In a follow-up experiment, they showed that mAb 77 provided “significant” protection against measles in cotton rat models of measles virus infection.
Now the team want to study different antibodies against measles.
Dr Zyla added: “We’d like to stop fusion at different points in the process and investigate other therapeutic opportunities.”
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your kids from measles.
Kids are offered their first dose aged one and their second at three years at four months, just before they start school.
Howeve, anyone who has missed jabs can catch up at any time through their GP surgery.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
