Breakthrough in cold vaccine research

Some people never get colds, others get them often, and for some, colds can be downright dangerous. But the common cold will no longer have a chance to threaten your health thanks to a team of scientists who are getting closer to developing a vaccine for the common cold.

Researchers at Paddington, London, are making breakthroughs in developing a nasal spray vaccine, SynGEM, that could prevent colds.

The vaccine has now been successfully tested on mice and is now being tested in a spray form on humans.

Although it is a common disease, medicine has not yet found a cure for this disease. Developing a vaccine is also difficult because there are up to 200 types of viruses that cause colds, of which 80% are caused by three types of viruses: rhinovirus, coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Even Professor Peter Openshaw, Imperial College London, once believed that "It is very difficult to find a vaccine or drug that works against all viruses."

But after spending 30 years researching colds and flu, Professor Openshaw believes they are actually close to a breakthrough with a vaccine targeting RSV.

His team is in the process of testing the nasal spray vaccine in 36 volunteers and waiting to see if it works — if the subjects produce antibodies (immune cells that fight the virus), then SynGEM is working.

If the vaccine is successful, it could save many lives, especially the elderly and children. Because the disease is not only unpleasant but can also be fatal.

According to Dantri