September 26, 2019
At some point we have all struggled through a cold and wished for a treatment that would stop the virus in its track. Many have tried over the years to tackle the common cold, and at last there may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
A team of researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco have a new approach to the age-old problem. Their approach began by gene-editing human cells, switching off genes one by one until they found one that was essential to viral replication. The gene they identified encodes a protein called methyltransferase SETD3, and in mice bred not to produce this protein they observed that the mice were protected from viral infections.
Further studies will be required before a cure for the common cold is identified, but this is an important first step. A medication that can temporarily suppress this protein in our bodies may be a way of guarding against the common cold, and other related viruses.
Source: BBC News:
Read more: http://ow.ly/KmNA50wgUEr
