New antibody-inspired drug could possibly cure flu

A common flu can prove to be deadly for thousands of people, yet there is no vaccine to keep people away from it for longer periods. According to a new study, researchers have created a new drug that might be able to cure flu forever.

A team of doctors carried out a new experiment that could give broader protection against many strains caused by influenza, even at levels of infections that are currently deadly, reported NPR.

The new treatment works in a similar way the body naturally uses microbe-protecting antibodies to fight viruses. Co-author Ian Wilson told NPR, “If you told me 10 years ago that we’d have a small molecule that could do this I would have been completely surprised. It’s a proof-of-principle that small, manageable drugs can behave like these really powerful antibodies.”

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Though the drug has only been tested in lab mice, but the researchers are positive that the new molecule could serve as the much called for cure of flu. In the lab experiment, when mice were exposed to lethal level of flu, 100% of those orally treated with the new treatment were able to survive, reported Futurism.

Also, when tested on human lung cells grown in lab, the new treatment shows promising results, paving way for future human trials. Also, such a drug would also be cheaper to produce, easier to store and can be taken orally.

Researcher Maria van Dongen said, “This study suggests a potential treatment of influenza, but this study was pre-clinical, and further progression would require more research and clinical trials.”