Another possible way to prevent the common cold is based on the discovery that 90 percent of rhinoviruses bind to one type of receptor in nasal cells. It is also known that monoclonal antibodies will also bind to this same receptor. Several scientists have speculated that if enough monoclonal antibodies are released into the nose, they will block all receptors and prevent access to the viruses.
To test this theory, a group of volunteers took nose drops containing monoclonal antibodies ten times over a thirty-nine-hour period. A control group took nothing. Both groups were then exposed to a rhinovirus.
Only nine of the thirteen-member test group caught colds compared to eleven of the thirteen-member control group. However, the test group did have significantly milder symptoms. While the study suggests that monoclonal antibodies can indeed block cell receptors, results as yet do not justify their use as a cold prophylactic.
Drug WIN 51,711, developed by a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer, has demonstrated broad antiviral effects against the rhinovirus as well as against a wide spectrum of related viral infections. An analog of the drug binds to a site on the surface of the rhinovirus, preventing it from shedding its protein coat and, as a result, from being able to replicate.
Although this may sound promising, by the time the drug is taken and becomes effective, the worst of a cold may be over.
The eventual outcome may be that both the interferon spray and WIN 51,711 will be combined with related antiviral compounds to provide a shotgun approach to preventing and curing the common cold. Meanwhile, it seems fairly safe to assume that a medical cure for the common cold or flu still lies in the distant, unforeseeable future.
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