British scientists say they have made a discovery that could defeat the common cold. Up to now they thought that antibodies could only fight viral infections outside of cells. Now they have proof that antibodies can destroy viruses even after they have invaded human cells. Antibodies can hang on to viruses as they enter cells. Normally the virus would copy itself many times and take over control of
the cell. The antibody in the cell
however can trigger an action that causes a protein to get rid of bad substances, before the virus is able to cause damage. The Cambridge scientists who made the discovery said it would possibly take years to find the right drugs to treat viral infections and that it may not work on all viruses. Viruses are the world’s biggest killers.
They are very hard to treat and kill more people than cancer. There are about 200 viruses that can cause a
normal cold.