Community | November 02, 2010 | 5 comments

No more colds - breakthrough into fighting common virus

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A breakthrough discovery into how cells can fight off the most common viruses such as the winter flu and common colds may lead to new wonder drugs within the next few years.

Until now experts had thought that antibodies, such as white blood cells, could only tackle viral infections by blocking or attacking viruses outside cells. But work done by the Medical Research Council shows antibodies can pass into cells and fight viruses from within.

The landmark discovery was made at the University of Cambridge’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, also known as the ‘Nobel Prize Factory’ due to its ability to win the prestigious prize (it’s tallied up 14 awards so far).

Viruses remain mankind's biggest killer, responsible for twice as many deaths each year as cancer, and are among the hardest of all diseases to treat.

The new discovery by Dr Leo James and his colleagues at the Medical Research Council has transformed previous scientific understanding of our immunity to viral diseases like the common cold, 'winter vomiting' and gastroenteritis.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/a-cure-for-the-common-cold-may-finally...
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