| ■ Scientists Identify Flu-Fighting Proteins | 2009.12.19 |
| Researchers have identified a family of flu-fighting proteins that boost the body's natural resistance to viral infection, a finding they said could lead to better treatment and prevention of flu and other viral infections. The scientists found that these proteins prevent most virus particles from infecting a cell at the earliest stage in the virus life cycle, United Press International reported. "We've uncovered the first-line defense in how our bodies fight the flu virus," said Harvard Medical School Professor Stephen Elledge. "The protein is there to stop the flu. Every cell has a constitutive immune response that is ready for the virus." "When we knocked the proteins out, we had more virus infection. When we increased the proteins, we had more protection," said study leader Dr. Abraham Brass, a geneticist and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, UPI reported. |