Experimental approach stops common cold

Scientists believe they may have found a way to halt the common cold and other closely related viruses.

Tackling and beating the common cold has been a significant problem in medicine. Although most colds are caused by rhinoviruses, there are around 160 different kinds and are so easily mutated that they can quickly learn to hide from the immune system or become resistant to drugs.

This has led to the concept of “host-directed therapy”, which make our bodies inhospitable for the common viruses.

An individual virus is dependent on infecting other cells and stealing some of the parts inside, as it does not have all it needs to replicate. For this reason, scientists have long argued on whether viruses are truly alive.

The research team at the University of California and Stanford University, located one of the components that the viruses were dependent on. They began with human cells and then used gene-editing to switch off instructions inside our DNA. The modified cells were exposed to a range of enteroviruses, including the rhinoviruses which cause the common cold.

They then created genetically modified mice, which were unable to produce that protein.

Jan Carette, associate professor, said “Lacking that gene protected the mice completely from viral infection. These mice would always die without the mutation, but they survived and we saw a very strong reduction in viral replication and very strong protection.”

Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, said of the study “There is increasing interest in developing treatments that target these host proteins, because it can potentially overcome virus mutation – one of the major barriers to developing effective broadly active antivirals.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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