Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 9 submissions in the queue.

New Approach Could Stop the Common Cold

posted by CoolHand on Wednesday May 16 2018, @05:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the saving-tissues dept.

takyon writes:

Drug target for curing the common cold

UK scientists believe they may have found a way to combat the common cold.

Rather than attacking the virus itself, which comes in hundreds of versions, the treatment targets the human host. It blocks a key protein in the body's cells that cold viruses normally hijack to self-replicate and spread. This should stop any cold virus in its tracks if given early enough, lab studies suggest [DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0039-2] [DX]. Safety trials in people could start within two years.

The Imperial College London researchers are working on making a form of the drug that can be inhaled, to reduce the chance of side-effects. In the lab, it worked within minutes of being applied to human lung cells, targeting a human protein called NMT, Nature Chemistry journal reports.

Related: Vaccine Against the Common Cold may be Achievable

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
New Approach Could Stop the Common Cold | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 26 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:02PM (4 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:02PM (#680471) Journal

    Not to worry. If all the humans are dead, then viruses that target humans are going to be out of a job. Win-win, right?

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:05PM (#680472)

    Leave it to a conservative to come up with extinction as a game plan
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    /s yes I know, what you couldn't scroll down for the disclaimer??

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:21PM (1 child)

    by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:21PM (#680477)

    AC didn't mandate that blocking the protein would kill you.

    Look, if you block his protein, you'll never have a cold, but most likely a heart attack in the next 20 years.
    If you're young enough to care about a heart attack, use this new remedy which will prevent it, but guarantees a stroke within 30 years.
    Don't want a stroke? There's this experimental prion-derived drug that will solve that problem, but Creutsfeldt-Jacob is pretty certain by the 40th anniversary.
    And if you're too young to want that, I'm sure you don't want the new pill will will cure all of this but leave you impotent starting tomorrow.

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Bot on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:53PM

    by Bot (3902) on Wednesday May 16 2018, @06:53PM (#680487) Journal

    My AI suggests you might be employing sarcasm in your post, but I fail to detect any.

    --
    Account abandoned.