Science has found ways to control serious, life-threatening diseases like polio and smallpox, so why is the common cold still so common? Why is there no vaccine or cure? Scientific American attempts to answer these questions in an article published earlier this week. Since the 1950s, researchers have looked into rhinovirus which causes the majority of “colds.” However, unlike a virus like polio, for example, which has only 3 strains, rhinovirus has upwards of 160 different strains. Generating a vaccine against all of those strains is a time- and cost-intensive process, and one that may not even be worthwhile given that colds (in most cases) are not serious. Still, researchers like Martin Moore are persistent, and Moore has created a vaccine against at least 50 of the most prevalent and harmful strains of rhinovirus so far. From a different angle, scientists at Barlow search for a cure, examining compounds that could mimic the body’s own immune system, but in a faster and stronger way. Overall, a cold can mean just a few days with sniffles or (in rare cases) a serious respiratory condition, so it is exciting and relevant to see where research for a vaccine against or a cure for the common cold goes.
Check out the full article here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-havent-we-cured-the-common-cold-yet/
- Jennifer Shah
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