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Mint
4 days ago
- Health
- Mint
The race to find a measles treatment as infections surge
As a record number of people in the U.S. are sickened with measles, researchers are resurrecting the search for something long-deemed redundant: treatments for the viral disease. After the measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, cases of the disease plummeted. By 2000, federal officials had declared measles eliminated from the U.S. This success led to little interest in the development of treatments. But now, as vaccination rates fall and infections rise, scientists are racing to develop drugs they say could prevent or treat the disease in vulnerable and unvaccinated people. 'In America, we don't like being told what to do, but we like to have options for our medicine chest," said Marc Elia, chairman of the board of Invivyd, a Massachusetts-based drugmaker that started working on a monoclonal antibody for measles this spring. Scientists across the country including at biotechs Invivyd and Saravir Biopharma—and institutions such as Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Georgia State University—are in the early stages of measles-treatment development. The drugs are still a ways from becoming available to patients but could offer alternatives to people who are immunocompromised, don't respond to the measles vaccine or are vaccine skeptics. Some doctors and researchers warn that measles treatments could further drive the drop in vaccination. Nationally, 92.5% of kindergartners received the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, shot in the 2024-2025 school year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. In 2019-2020, the vaccination rate was over 95%, which is the rate encouraged by health authorities to prevent community transmission of measles. More than 1,300 people, most of them unvaccinated, have been diagnosed with measles this year—a 33-year high. 'One of the motivations of getting the vaccine right now is that there are no treatments," said Dr. Joel Warsh, a pediatrician who says more research is needed into immunization safety. Still, Invivyd is betting its measles monoclonal antibody could help curb infections and outbreaks. Unlike the MMR vaccine, which is designed to train the body to make its own antibodies—proteins that help defeat specific pathogens—monoclonal antibodies are lab-made versions that can be delivered intravenously or as an injection and boost immunity immediately. Antibody treatments could treat someone who is sick or help prevent measles in people recently exposed to the virus. They could benefit newborns and immunocompromised people who can't be vaccinated, as well as the minority of people who don't respond to the vaccine or whose immunity has waned. The treatments could offer weeks or months of protection against measles, researchers said. 'Think of it like antivenom after a snake bite," said Erica Ollmann Saphire, chief executive of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, whose lab is developing its own monoclonal antibodies for measles. 'Even people unsure about vaccines, if they are already sick with measles, getting an antibody treatment could be palatable." Saphire's lab has identified a few antibodies that have shown promise in animal tests. Invivyd said it hoped to have a drug candidate by the end of the year. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. James Crowe, a pediatric infectious-disease specialist, has found success with a half-dozen antibodies that still need to be tested in people. In searching for a treatment, researchers have been forced to better understand measles, which Crowe said hadn't been as thoroughly studied as some other ailments because the vaccine had been so successful. The body's immune response to measles, for instance, hadn't been well understood. But he and other researchers now have a clearer picture of how measles antibodies work. Some block the virus from attaching to cells, while others interfere with a mechanism that allows the virus to fuse with cell membranes. Alternatives to vaccination could be especially appealing among some communities in Texas, where Dr. Ben Edwards practices family medicine and has treated hundreds of measles patients, he said. Many of them were from a Mennonite community hard-hit by a recent measles outbreak and where vaccination rates are low. 'They're going to want to look at the data though," he said. 'There's been a tremendous uptick in lack of trust in medicine." Edwards said he understands why many of his patients are skeptical of the MMR vaccine, which he said lacked adequate safety data. The MMR shot remains the best and only way to prevent measles, the CDC said. Multiple large-scale studies conducted over decades have proven the MMR vaccine to be very safe and effective, the agency said. Edwards said it makes sense to develop treatments—both drugs and alternative remedies—for measles so people have options. He said it was logical to think that more people would opt out of vaccination if effective treatments existed. Edwards, who had never treated a measles patient until this year, said he advised patients to take vitamin A supplements such as cod liver oil. He said he also treated about one-third of his measles patients with budesonide, an inhalable steroid medication used to treat asthma, to help alleviate respiratory problems. His approach attracted the attention of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who praised Edwards as an 'extraordinary" healer. Neither vitamin A supplements nor budesonide are considered measles treatments, said the Infectious Diseases Society of America, though budesonide can be used to treat complications from the illness. Some studies show that people with vitamin A deficiencies can get sicker from the virus, but there is no evidence that patients who aren't deficient will benefit from taking more of it, said John Lednicky, a microbiologist at the University of Florida. 'The typical American is not deficient," he said. 'And if you take too much, it will make you sick." Measles can cause severe acute disease and rarely death, but also 'immune amnesia," which causes the body to forget how to fight other infections, doctors said. Richard Plemper, a biomedical scientist at Georgia State University whose lab is developing an oral antiviral treatment for the virus family that includes measles, said he thinks people who want to get vaccinated will still do so, whether treatments are available or not. The antiviral he is working on, which is designed to block the ability of viruses including measles from replicating, has shown efficacy in animal experiments. But Plemper said he isn't sure how his lab will fund further research. Scheduled tests for the antiviral compound in dogs were canceled recently after National Institutes of Health funding was terminated. Saravir Biopharma, which was launched in July in collaboration with Columbia University to develop a measles monoclonal antibody, is banking on a continuing decline in vaccination rates to further fuel a need for measles treatments—and in turn, more investor interest. 'This is just the beginning," said Dr. Ron Moss, Saravir's CEO. 'I don't see public-health officials in this country turning around and saying everyone will need to get vaccinated in the next couple of years." Moss said Saravir's antibody treatment, which is designed to stop the measles virus from fusing with the body's cells, could be tested in people as soon as next year. Write to Dominique Mosbergen at
Geek Dad
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Stack Overflow: 6 Books for May
On this roundup list, we celebrate my usual favorites: board books, books in translation, migrant stories, and even an early reader graphic novel that I enjoyed a bit too much. Let's start with picture books: Cristina Plays by Micaela Chirif (Author), Paula Ortiz (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator) Micaela Chirif is an award-winning Peruvian author of children's books and poetry, and I am glad that we are finally giving some space to widely recognized authors like her (it has taken far too long). In this book, Cristina is playing with a doll house that has a rabbit doll. Cristina will soon exchange her place in the doll's house with her doll, in a vivid dream that displays her imagination, dwelling in a poetic way on what children feel when involved in representational play. Cristina Plays is on sale since April 15, 2025. Publisher: Orca Book Publishers Pages: 36/ Hardback EAN/UPC: 9781459841178 Up next, the idea behind the book gives voice to dads: Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids by Andrew Gardner (Author), Joel Warsh (Author), David Cooper (Illustrator) This illustrated take on parents' wishes is nice because it portrays a wide array of loving dads, something we don't get enough of: When you grow up, I hope you… …let your smile change the world …feel you are loved, in every cell of your body …learn how to help those who need a hand Eighteen fathers are asked to finish the sentence above, and the eighteen wishes have lot in common. They all wish for their offspring to do well, to be brave and kind, and to learn to help others. As parents, we wish the best for our kids, always, but we rarely get to say it, we are busy barking orders, giving advice, and trying to survive. This letter anthology helps parents go past that. Love, Dad is on sale since April 08, 2025. Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Pages: 40/ Hardback ISBN: 9780593572160 Up next, an early reader graphic novel (I didn't know those even existed!). Pencil & Eraser: Lost and Frown! by Jenny Alvarado (Author) This is the second adventure of a pencil and eraser BFFs. I have to say that the first one, Pencil & Eraser: We Have a Dull-Emma! was hilarious, especially if you are very young, first starting in the world of comics (the page layout is early reader friendly) and love corny jokes. If you are not into corny jokes, this book is definitely not for you. The joke breaks that happen sporadically in the book are fabulously corny: What is a ninja's favorite juice? Fruit Punch! (You get the idea…). In the first novel, Pencil is dull and convinces Eraser to go on a sharpener-hunt throughout the school, having loads of adventures in the process. In the second book, they fall out of their owner's bag on their way to karate, and have to navigate the town to get there, with a fun stop in the Arcade! These two friends are fun, relatable, and you have to admit that eraser is the practical one of the pair, but she loves her partner's goofiness very much. Pencil & Eraser: Lost and Frown! is on sale since May 06, 2025. Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers Hardback | Pages: 80 ISBN: 9780593699812 Now for a beautiful book about solidarity: New Shoes for Leo by Lauren Agra Deedy (Author), Susan Gal (Illustrator) Susan Gal has made something beautiful for this book, rendering it in a soft light that warms everything it touches. And it is a warm story. A young Cuban American boy must help fill a box for relatives on the island, an endeavor migrant families do for every country in the world: they send clothes, medicine, and knickknacks to poorer relatives on their country of origin, sometimes monthly, to help those who are having a harder time than them. William's Mami and his Tía Ana ask him to help on a task for a young boy just about his age: find shoes for him to be shipped to Cuba. Cousin Leo, he will soon discover, has a lot in common with him. He also has freckles, loves baseball, and is loved very much by his close-knit family. But no one has the right size for him! What can William do to fulfill his task? William is about to learn a very important lesson about love and solidarity, just by fulfilling this apparently simple task. New Shoes for Leo is on sale since March 04, 2025. Published by Scholastic Press Hardback | Pages: 40 ISBN: 9781338770216 Now for a recently translated book: Newborns. How Baby Animals Come Into the World by Paulina Jara (Author), Mercè Galí (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator) On this lengthy nonfiction book, there are 25 diverse ways to come into this world, from little tiny kangaroos that crawl to their mother's pouch being the size of a pea, and continue to grow there, to baby tadpoles, tiny newborn spiders and cougars, all of them unique and a testimony to the marvel of evolution. Some gestation periods are days; some are years. Some babies are born ready to fend for themselves, while others rely on their parents for months. The only thing I did not like where the illustrations. I feel that a quirkier, more detailed look at animal expressions and baby faces would have made the book more relatable to young readers. Newborns is on sale since March 11, 2025 Publisher: Orca Book Publishers Hardback | Pages: 64 ISBN: 9781459840348 Finally, this book inspired Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki: The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba (Author), Miho Satake (Illustrator), Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator) This book, which inspired a famous Miyazaki movie, has little in common with the story portrayed in the film. As a fan of Kashibawa's work, I would be doing her a disservice if I said that the story was not magical on itself, it truly is! She has an ability for magical tales as strong as Dianne Wayne Jones'. When a young Lina is sent all by herself to a place called Misty Valley, she is in for an adventure. The village is connected to different places and times, the town is not on any map, and the headmistress of the house looks like the witch in Spirited Away , but the adventures are very different. There is a magical bookstore that is in itself a gateway to all magical bookstores in the world, there is a Pastry Chef that deals with enchanted desserts, and there are centaurs, gnomes, and other types of quirky characters roaming about. Misty Valley is a place where you go when you need to learn something, and you would not be able to find it if you were not going to change by experiencing it. After 50 years of being a beloved classic in Japan, I truly celebrate its translation into English. The Village Beyond the Mist is available since May 27, 2025. Publisher: Yonder 160 Pages/ Hardback EAN/UPC 9781632063922 Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon! Ken Denmead Editor-in-Chief Matt Blum Managing Editor Z Associate Editors/GeekMom Partners Jenny Bristol Senior Editors Jonathan H. Liu, Patricia Volmer, Sophie Brown Associate Publishers* David Michael, Gerry Tolbert, Andrew Smith, Ray Wehrs, Joel Becker, Scott Gaeta, Beth Kee, Joey Mills, talkie_tim, Danny Marquardt, Adam Bruski, John Bain, Bill Moore, Adam Frank, Lacey Hays, Peter Morson, James Needham, Matt Fleming, Adam Anderson, Jim Reynolds, Seiler Hagan, Bryan Wade, Petrov Neutrino, Jay Shapiro Editor (Emeritus) Chris Anderson Contributors Paul Benson, Darren Blankenship, John Booth, Jenny Bristol, Rory Bristol, Robin Brooks, Tom Fassbender, Whit Honea, Rob Huddleston, Will James, Michael Knight, Joey Mills, Brad Moon, Anton Olsen, Skip Owens, Mariana Ruiz, Derrick Schneider, Tony Sims, Dakster Sullivan, Mark Vorenkamp *Thanks for your support on Patreon!
