Cytomegalovirus Transmission – New Study Uncovers Key to Prevention

A groundbreaking study co-authored by Weill Cornell Medicine and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) provides critical insights into the development of a more effective cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine. The research reveals that current vaccine targets may not be sufficient to prevent cross-placental transmission of CMV to unborn babies, highlighting the urgent need for new strategies to protect against congenital CMV infection.

Why Cytomegalovirus Prevention Matters

CMV is one of the most widespread viruses, affecting people of all ages. While most individuals with a CMV infection experience no symptoms, the virus poses severe risks during pregnancy. Congenital CMV is a leading cause of birth defects, hearing loss, developmental delays, and neurological impairments in newborns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 200 babies in the United States is born with congenital CMV, and nearly 20% suffer severe health complications. Despite decades of research, an effective CMV vaccine remains elusive, leaving newborns vulnerable to long-term disabilities.

New Research Challenges Existing cytomegalovirus Vaccine Strategies

Published on March 12 in Science Translational Medicine, the study examined a widely believed theory: that blocking a viral protein complex called the pentameric complex could prevent CMV transmission across the placenta. Using non-human primate models, researchers found that even when the virus lacked this protein complex, it could still cross the placenta and infect the fetus, causing significant harm.

These findings challenge current CMV vaccine development approaches, suggesting that alternative viral proteins must be identified to provide better protection.

Expert Insights on Future CMV Vaccine Development

“More robust information on the interactions between the virus and the human host is crucial for the selection of promising targets that can be used for the development of an effective vaccine,” said Dr. Daniel Malouli, senior author and assistant professor at the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.

“The data uncovered in our research go against commonly held assumptions in the field of CMV vaccine development and indicate that some of the most widely used vaccine targets may provide insufficient protection from cross-placental spread, suggesting that other CMV proteins may need to be included in future vaccine designs to block these transmission events.”

A Step Closer to a More Effective CMV Vaccine

Led by Dr. Klaus Früh and Dr. Hsuan-Yuan (Sherry) Wang from OHSU, the study underscores the importance of further exploring CMV-host interactions to identify new vaccine targets. These findings could reshape CMV vaccine research, guiding pharmaceutical companies toward more effective prevention strategies.

Future research will continue leveraging these models to refine CMV vaccine development and ultimately pave the way for a widely available CMV vaccine that protects newborns from life-altering congenital CMV infections.

“We hope that our work can pave the way for the selection of more promising vaccine targets, which we will test in future studies,” said Dr. Malouli. “Ultimately, we hope our research leads to an effective CMV vaccine that can be made widely available.”

For more information: Hsuan-Yuan Wang et al. ,The pentameric complex is not required for congenital CMV transmission in seronegative rhesus macaques.Sci. Transl. Med.17,eadm8961(2025).DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adm8961