14 DAY TRIAL // Treating the common flu has been an objective for scientists for centuries, and yet the virus managed to outsmart everyone for a very long time. But its advantage may soon come to an end, thanks to a new form of therapy developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (UTHSCT).
Experts here have discovered that injecting a particular molecule into the lungs of patients significantly reduces the severity of flu symptoms. It also contributes to reducing deaths induced by administrating large amounts of the influenza virus.
The “active” element in the new therapy is called the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Experts in charge of the study say that a course of treatment based on this molecule is still years away.
At the same time, they add that early results are extremely encouraging. In the new study, the team injected unsuspecting mice with large quantities of the influenza virus, and then divided the animal models into two groups.
One of them was administered GM-CSF, whereas the other was left untreated. It was found that all the mice in the former group survived after receiving injections to their lungs. Conversely, all the mice in the second group, that were left untreated, perished from the infection.
Details of the new work were published in the latest early online issue of the esteemed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. They will appear in an upcomgin print issue of the magazine as well, Science Blog reports.
“Such unique and unambiguous results demonstrate the great potential of GM-CSF and may be the remedy for a critical public health priority: developing strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality from influenza,” explains UTHSCT expert principal study investigator Homayoun Shams, PhD.
Official statistics provided by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that between 250,000 and 500,000 people die because of influenza infections every year. Between 3 and 5 million people are infected annually, but survive.
“Improved methods to protect against influenza are sorely needed, particularly in the face of an impending pandemic. Development of such methods hinges on understanding host mechanisms that confer robust protection against influenza,” Dr. Shams explains.
“Despite the widespread use of vaccines, influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world, and those with poor immune systems are particularly more susceptible – such as very young, elderly or immuno-compromised individuals,” he concludes.