New Research from the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England – home of 14 Nobel Prizes – give hope for better treatment of viruses.
Viruses are still mankind’s biggest killers, responsible for twice as many deaths as cancer.
The main reason for this lethality is that once viruses slip inside human cells, they effectively hide from the immune system which would try to destroy them.
The Cambridge group discovered a new cellular protein called TRIM 21. If it attaches to the virus inside the cell, it activates a powerful antiviral response by the cell’s other proteins that will destroy the virus immediately. The catch is that TRIM 21 will only attach to the virus if it has some other protein sticking to it like an antibody.
So, what the researchers propose is to synthesize TRIM 21 and use it as a way to coat the virus before it gets into the cells. Options available would include oral dosing of TRIM 21, or a nasal spray.