Biodefense leaps ahead of one vaccine for one germ approach. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in collaboration with a national team have developed a biodefense cocktail which activates the immune system against a broad range of viruses and bacteria. The new treatment boosts the body's response against common characteristics of germs. It is expected to be deployed to our troops within the next five years. Using a nasal spray, the cocktail of drugs will trigger immune activation in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, the most likely routes of attack......According to Dr. Whelan, "This will revolutionize our defense against germ warfare, as well as the treatment of infectious diseases in our population, as a whole. It is possible to include agents which inhibit molecular events leading to septic shock, as well. This new technology confers broad spectrum, short term, immunity against unknown biothreat agents for war fighters sent into harm's way."
| Caution: the article in question (free abstract of the article here) is a review article, not an original publication. There's no new ground broken here, just a summary of recent efforts. Toll-like receptors, referenced in the article, are a class of receptors on the surface of certain immune cells that recognize bacteria and viruses. These then activate certain inflammatory and immunologic cascades via a series of proteins called cytokines (the interferons are a class of cytokines) and chemokines. These act to switch on signals within inflammatory cells, and to call additional inflammatory cells to the scene. The hope is that if you can stimulate these with drugs, you can heighten the initial response to an agent (e.g., anthrax, hemorrhagic fever) and provide extra defense against the offending agent. Great idea; I know people who are working on this and they have interesting data. Ready for clinical use in five year? Maybe, but it's going to take a lot more work. |