Researchers at Canada’s McGill University have discovered a way to make cells in mice virtually immune to some viruses, including the flu.
If this is ever turned into an effective antiviral therapy for humans, essentially making the flu obsolete in developed countries, hundreds of millions of people are going to need to find new excuses to call in sick.
The researchers were able to “markedly suppress” the replication of encephalomyocarditis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, influenza virus and Sindbis virus in the cells.
If the science can be translated to humans, we may have effective therapies against dreaded pandemics like bird flu and SARS, according to the BBC.
We may also be struggling to come up with credible, convenient 24-hour illnesses that allow us to swan off to the beach on nice days, or suffer, in calm solitude, the effects of a previous night’s revelry.
The flu must be the second-most common sick-day fib, right after food poisoning. Without it, we’ll have to go straight to migraines.
This “immunity” is accomplished by boosting the mouse’s innate immune system:
The researchers knocked out two key genes in mice that repress production of interferon.
With these genes out of action, the mouse cells produced much higher levels of interferon, which effectively blocked viruses from reproducing.
There were no side-effects, according to researchers.
About Greg Baxter
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