A new study has highlighted the possibility of battling future
pandemic flu viruses through gene therapy. The study, published in Science
Transnational Medicine, has provided an insight into how mice and ferrets
respond to pandemic viruses after having been treated.
The treatment consisted of an intranasal delivery of a fluid
containing a gene that replicates an antibody proven to be effective against
the strains of lethal flu viruses. The strains that were used in the experiment
were two from the H1N1 virus and three from the H5N1 virus. The two viruses
have caused pandemic flus in the past, including the most severe human outbreak
in 1918. They were delivered in median lethal dose for mice and in lethal dose
for ferrets.
The result was that the animals left untreated had to be put
down as the viruses started replicating, while the mice and ferrets that were
treated with this technique before having been exposed to the virus, attained
full protection.
This technique might one day be very useful for
humans, as it provides an alternative to drugs. However, it is important to
bear in mind that this applies only as a treatment for strains of flu for
which an antibody is exists. Also, further studies are necessary to establish
whether humans will react in similar ways to this treatment technique. More information can be found at this site.