Researchers At Chicago Children's Hospital Testing First Potential Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization among babies in the United States, with premature babies being the most vulnerable.

Researchers at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago are testing the first potential immunization against RSV for healthy babies, the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab.

"There's a better binding to the RSV virus and so it is better at preventing the virus from attaching to and getting into cells where it can cause disease. The second modification that was made was to allow it to stay in the bloodstream much longer," said Dr. William Muller, an associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

A recent phase three study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a single dose of nirsevimab was 74.5% effective against serious RSV infections.

Currently, the only preventative treatment available is only for high-risk babies.

They receive several injections of a drug called palivizumab during the winter months

Devin Lindsey's 10-month-old daughter Cameron is taking part in the study.

"A lot of my friends have young children, and some of them have unfortunately gotten RSV before, and they've been hospitalized or just been sick," Lindsey says.

Cameron received her dose in October last year, but her family doesn't know yet if she got the actual drug or placebo.

"One day it's gonna be really cool to tell Cameron, like, she was a part of this study that's gonna help hundreds of thousands of children," Lindsey said.

Researchers said if nirsevimab receives FDA approval, it could be available by the 2023 respiratory virus season.

Researchers said no safety concerns have been identified with their experimental treatment.