A new oral antiviral drug candidate given either before or after direct contact or airborne exposure to the canine virus, which causes a measles-like disease in ferrets, prevents transmission of the virus and reduces clinical symptoms, according to a study published in the journal. Nature Microbiology by researchers at the Center for Translational Antiviral Research (CTAR) at Georgia State University.
The study investigated whether prophylactic (shortly before or after exposure) administration of the newly developed clinical candidate GHP-88310 (described in Science Advances), a broad-spectrum inhibitor of viral polymerase, prevents close contact or airborne transmission of the virus. The results show that GHP-88310 effectively blocks both forms of viral spread. In addition, the study showed that treating the infected animals reduced the period of time during which the infected animals could transmit the virus.
Rapid suppression of measles outbreaks is essential to restore control of the virus. This study follows the recent development of the drug candidate GHP-88310. It demonstrates that the drug is suitable for boosting traditional measles vaccination.”
Richard Plemper, senior author, Regents professor and director of CTAR
As of 2025, measles has re-emerged in the United States with thousands of cases in many states, hundreds of hospitalizations, and three confirmed deaths. Large outbreaks in Canada and Mexico with multiple deaths have called into question the status of measles eradication in North America.
“We were very excited to see that orally administered GHP-88310 completely prevented airborne transmission in our ferret measles model,” said first author Carolin Lieber, a senior postdoctoral fellow in the Plemper lab. “This finding is unprecedented for a viral polymerase inhibitor and demonstrates the extraordinary antiviral potency of this drug.”
To investigate the relevant conditions of virus transmission, the researchers developed a system that allowed them to mate infected and non-infected animals in direct physical contact or shared airspace, each under controlled environmental parameters.
“We designed the study to recapitulate the spread of the virus between people in direct contact, for example in a household, and between more distant social contacts, for example in classrooms or other indoor spaces that bring people into close proximity without direct interaction,” Plemper said. “In addition to this prophylactic benefit, the GHP-88310 used therapeutically shortened the duration of disease in our model. If equally applicable to human hosts, it may shorten the severe social and economic burden of prolonged patient quarantine and further aid in epidemic management.”
Researchers are now preparing GHP-88310 for a formal clinical trial.
Additional study authors include Josef Wolf, Claire Ruckel and Lauren Harrison of the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
