SAN ANTONIO – As measles cases rise across Texas, researchers in San Antonio are working on something that doesn’t currently exist — a treatment for the virus after infection.
At Texas Biomedical Research Institute, scientists say many people don’t realize that if someone contracts measles, there’s no specific medication available to treat it.
“There is currently no antiviral treatment or medication associated with treating the infection of measles,” said Cory Hallam, executive vice president of Applied Science at Texas Biomed.
According to the Center for Disease Control, doctors currently treat measles cases with high doses of vitamin A or a steroid treatment.
That reality is driving new research aimed at changing how doctors respond once someone is already sick.
Researchers at Texas Biomed are partnering with the La Jolla Institute and leading scientists to develop an antibody-based therapy — essentially a treatment designed to stop the virus inside the body.
“They’ve come up with an antibody, which is essentially a therapeutic,” Hallam said.
The goal is to give doctors a tool they currently don’t have — something that could be used in hospitals to reduce severe outcomes.
“This would be a way to treat them if they show up in the hospital to help prevent any kind of mortality,” Hallam explained.
The treatment works by targeting how the virus spreads inside the body.
“It prevents that virus from attaching itself to your cells because that virus wants your cells to make more of itself,” he said.
Researchers say the work is still in development, and timing depends heavily on funding and testing phases.
“On the short end this could be a three-to-five-year (program) … if we have to do each stage and seek funding after each stage you could be talking a five-to-10-year program,” Hallam said.
Why this matters
Health experts say measles remains one of the most contagious viruses in the world — making prevention critical.
“The reproducibility of the measles virus is one of the highest … which means it can spread to everybody,” Hallam said.
At the same time, researchers emphasize that vaccines have historically been highly effective at preventing outbreaks.
“There’s been a long track record of success with preventing outbreaks of measles in the country,” Hallam said.
Still, this potential treatment could play a key role for people who are unable to get vaccinated or are exposed to the virus.
“For those … not been able to get it, they would then have an ability to have a therapeutic available … in the event they acquired the infection,” he said.
While prevention remains the first line of defense, San Antonio researchers say having a treatment option could add a critical layer of protection — especially as cases begin to climb again.
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