Cure for common cold ‘possible’ after US scientists find key protein
- Discovery suggests that a drug that can keep virus away from needed protein could stave off disease
- Cure has been elusive because colds can be caused by around 160 strains of rhinovirus
Sneezing. Sniffling. Coughing.
There is not much you can do to stop the common cold except wait it out. But a new study published in Nature Microbiology may have lit the path to discovering a drug that can stop the virus in its tracks, scientists say.
Researchers in California recently discovered a protein needed for the viruses that cause the common cold to spread inside your body. Get rid of the protein, get rid of the virus.
That is just what scientists at Stanford University and the University of California in San Francisco did, first in human cancer cells, then in lung cells and finally in live mice. The results of their study suggest a drug that can keep the virus away from that protein may be able to stave off your winter cold.
“There’s still a long road to go,” said Jan Carette, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. “But I do think it’s an important step.”
A cure for the common cold has been elusive to scientists, in part because about 160 strains of rhinovirus can cause your sniffling, foggy head cold. To prevent the flu, by comparison, scientists target only three to four strains of influenza each year.