Antibodies Offer New Hope To Combat The Flu

New York – Scientist have isolated and identified antibodies in the human body that will fight not only the H5N1 Bird Flu virus but will also be instrumental in fighting the yearly outbreaks of new and increasingly violent strains of influenza.

The research team of major scientist is hopeful this discovery will eventually lead to lifesaving treatments.

Antibodies are the immune systems little fighters known to formulate when an invasion is detected in the body. The body produces proteins, which attaches itself to the invader creating a defense and eventually decreasing the distress the invader may have caused to the body.

The research team which includes Robert Liddington of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and Dr Wayne A. Marasco an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, each hope to use this discovery in protecting frontline workers and others who are at high risk of becoming ill in the instance of a flu or pandemic outbreak.

Robert Liddington stated in a brief telephone conversation with reporters, “We were surprised and actually delighted to find that these antibodies neutralized a majority of other influenza viruses, including the regular seasonal H1N1 Flu.”

According to data maintained by the World Health Organization, statistics provide certain definitive facts regarding the Flu:

Annually, approximately 250,000 to 500,000 succumb to the effects of the flu. Of these totals, roughly 36,000 cases are in the United States.

If a new strain of flu takes hold, it could result in a world pandemic claiming millions of lives globally.

There is no way researchers can determine when or where this pandemic might come from, even where it may initially hit cannot be isolated, but the fact is it could happen.

The United States along with major other global scientific teams are presently focusing attention on the H5N1 flu, which has most recently affected birds in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza have been successful in preventing the flu if taken twice daily at the onset of flu symptoms. However, a single injection of this antibody will prevent an illness by protecting the body for up to three weeks.

Sources:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKN2227057820090222

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/02/22/scientists-may-have-new-way-to-fight-the-flu.html