The flu is a contagious disease that affects several million people each winter, and it is estimated that 5 people die from it every day in France during the epidemic period, in particular due to the appearance of strains of virus which are resistant to treatment.
Also, researchers from INRA and those from Claude Bernard University in Lyon have sought to develop a strategy that targets the cell that hosts the virus and not the virus itself. Their research has resulted in the creation of a molecule that blocks inflammation of the immune system in the presence of the virus and leads to recovery.
These works, which have just been published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, show that by administering this antagonist molecule to influenza mice, not only was the inflammatory process inhibited, but also the multiplication of viruses was stopped. “The result is very promising,” said Bruno Lina, head of the National Flu Reference Center in Lyon. “Because, every year, people who die from the severe form of seasonal flu die because the virus triggers a whole cascade of immune reactions in them. “
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This study confirms that the design of an alternative treatment current anti-virals and limiting the emergence of viruses resistant to this treatment is possible. But even if the first tests on rodents are promising, this molecule still needs to be tested in humans. Clinical trials are underway at the Hospices de Lyon, to confirm this efficacy of the molecule on the spread of influenza viruses including the famous highly pathogenic H5N1 virus and the H1N1 virus which spreads rapidly from one region to another.
Note that for now, the seasonal flu virus “shows no sign of sustained circulation” as explained by the influenza surveillance network. In other words, the epidemic is not yet there and, while waiting for the arrival of the new molecule, there is still time to get vaccinated !
