British Scientists Report Cure For Common Cold

Come down with a cold and you face a week or more of misery. After all, there is no cure for the common cold.

Or is there?

A team of researchers at Britain's  Medical Research Council Laboratory at Cambridge have, for the first time, shown that antibodies can fight viruses from within infected cells. Until now, it was believed that once a cold virus had penetrated the inner sanctum of a cell, there was no way to attack it.

This finding not only transforms the previous scientific understanding of our immunity to viral diseases like the common cold, it also gives scientists a different set of rules that pave the way to the next generation of antiviral drugs.

"Doctors have plenty of antibiotics to fight bacterial infections but few antiviral drugs," said Dr. Leo James from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) and lead author of the study. "Although these are early days, and we don't yet know whether all viruses are cleared by this mechanism, we are excited that our discoveries may open multiple avenues for developing new antiviral drugs."

Killer viruses

Viruses are mankind's biggest killer, responsible for twice as many deaths each year as cancer, yet they are among the hardest of all diseases to treat. Previously scientists believed that antibodies could only reduce infection by attacking viruses outside cells and also by blocking their entry into cells.

The Cambridge scientists have now shown that antibodies remain attached when viruses enter healthy cells. Once inside, the antibodies trigger a response, led by a protein called TRIM21, which pulls the virus into a disposal system used by the cell to get rid of unwanted material.

This process happens quickly, usually before most viruses have chance to harm the cell. The MRC scientists have further shown that increasing the amount of TRIM21 protein in cells makes this process even more effective, suggesting new ways of making better antiviral drugs.

"Antibodies are formidable molecular war machines; it now appears that they can continue to attack viruses within cells," said Sir Greg Winter, deputy director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. "This research is not only a leap in our understanding of how and where antibodies work, but more generally in our understanding of immunity and infection."

A billion colds a year

According to medical experts, there are over one billion colds in the U.S. each year. Most people recover, but spend seven to 10 days coughing, sneezing and blowing their nose.

Children are notorious cold sponges, getting and spreading on average three colds per year. The germs are easily spread through contact at school and daycare facilities.

Current treatment for colds is designed to make the sufferer more comfortable. Over the counter medication treats the symptoms - suppressing coughs, for example - but does nothing to attack the virus itself.