Common
cold virus is foiled by a decoy
A drug that mimics a molecule
used by cold viruses to invade cells has reduced cold symptoms in some
people and prevented colds in others.
References:
McIntosh, K. 1999. Closer to a cure for the common cold? Journal
of the American Medical Association 281(May 19):1844.
Turner, R.B. . . . F.G. Hayden. 1999. Efficacy of tremacamra, a soluble
intercellular adhesion molecule 1, for experimental rhinovirus infection.
Journal of the American Medical Association 281(May 19):1797.
Further Readings:
Abraham, G., and R.J. Colonno. 1984. Many rhinovirus serotypes share
the same cellular receptor. Journal of Virology 51:340.
Frenette, P.S., and D.D. Wagner. 1996. Adhesion moleculesPart I.
New England Journal of Medicine 334(June 6):1526.
Graham, R. 1997. Taking on the common cold. MIT's Technology Review
100(February/March):19.
Grave, J.M., et al. 1989. The major human rhinovirus receptor
is ICAM-1. Cell 56:839.
Huguenel, E.D., et al. 1997. Prevention of rhinovirus infection
in chimpanzees by soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1. American
Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 155:1206.
Larkin, M. 1997. Sniffing out an end to the common cold. Lancet
349(May 3):1299.
Sources:
Frederick G. Hayden
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Health Sciences Center
Department of Medicine
Box 473
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Kenneth McIntosh
Harvard Medical School
Children's Hospital
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 21, May 22, 1999, p. 325.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.