Broadly protective antibodies for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
Official title: Isolation of broadly protective monoclonal antibodies for Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11403811 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will study antibodies from people who survived Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever to find ones that can neutralize many viral strains and test them in a mouse model for potential future therapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | July 23, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $616,719 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI180125-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11403811 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have survived Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and can donate blood samples for antibody isolation.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without a history of CCHF or those unable to participate in blood donation activities may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever is a deadly tick-borne infection with no approved vaccine or specific treatment. This project will collect blood from CCHF survivors, isolate a large panel of human monoclonal antibodies targeting the virus’s envelope proteins, and identify those with broad protective activity. The team will evaluate how well these antibodies protect against different virus variants in a lethal mouse model and map exactly where these antibodies bind on the virus. If successful, these broadly protective antibodies could inform development of future therapies or vaccines for CCHF. The work combines patient-derived samples, advanced antibody characterization, and animal testing to advance toward a potential medical countermeasure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to antibody-based therapies or vaccines that protect against diverse CCHF strains and reduce disease burden.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed mouse antibodies can be protective; this study focuses on human antibodies with broader protection, which is promising but exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sajadi, Mohammad Mohseni — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Sajadi, Mohammad Mohseni
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Broad antiviral drugs that target coronaviruses and other viruses
A research program aims to identify small molecules that can block multiple viruses, focusing first on coronaviruses, to help create drugs that can treat future outbreaks.
-
Finding broadly protective antibodies against Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
Researchers will study blood from people who survived CCHF to find human antibodies that protect against multiple virus variants, with early tests in animal models to check their breadth.
-
Antivirals for hemorrhagic fever viruses like LASV, SFTSV, and EBOV
A multi-institutional effort to find and validate antiviral compounds that block key viral proteins from LASV, SFTSV, and EBOV to help people at risk from serious hemorrhagic fevers.
-
A New Model for Valley Fever: Studying Coccidioides Infection with Volatile Clues in Wax Moths
Researchers are testing a new, cheaper model using wax moths to study Valley Fever caused by Coccidioides, with the goal of understanding how the infection behaves and how it could be diagnosed or treated.
-
Halogen-modified nucleoside analogs to fight yellow fever virus
Aims to develop new oral medicines that could prevent or treat yellow fever by using specially modified building blocks that stop the virus from growing.
-
Understanding Guanarito virus and building countermeasures for Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever
This project studies how Guanarito virus causes disease and aims to develop vaccines or treatments to protect people in areas where Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever occurs.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.