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But researchers at Emory University in the U.S. say a vaccine against the ailment may be closer than we think.

Feeling sniffly? There may be a cold vaccine in the works


Daniel Martins
Digital Reporter

Sunday, October 23, 2016, 12:58 PM - As the saying goes, you can't cure the common cold. So if you come down with one, popular wisdom is to wait it out, while taking some cold medication to take the edge off the symptoms.

And unlike the flu, against which most vaccines are effective, the common scientific wisdom is that no such vaccine could work against colds. There are more than 100 rhinoviruses, the cause of most colds, in circulation worldwide, making it near-impossible to come up with a vaccine that would protect against all of them -- or so the thinking went.

However, new research suggests samples of up to 50 different viruses can be combined into a single vaccine that boosts antibodies against those viruses.

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"If we make a vaccine with 50 or 100 variants, it's the same amount of total protein in a single dose of vaccine," Dr. Martin Moore, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, said in a release. "The variants are like a bunch of slightly different Christmas ornaments, not really like 50 totally different vaccines mixed."

During their tests, the researchers found these combined vaccinations were effective at producing antibodies in mice and rhesus monkeys. Those antibodies were then tested for their ability to prevent infection of human cells in culture, though not for their ability to prevent the animals from coming down with colds.

"There are no good animal models of rhinovirus replication," Moore said. "The next step would be human challenge models with volunteers, which are feasible because the virus is not very pathogenic."

RELATED: Cold weather CAN cause colds, study says

The research appeared in the journal Nature Communications.

Mashable reports other groups of researchers around the world are paying renewed attention to the possibility of vaccinating against colds.

Dr. James Gern, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin, told the website his research team found some rhinoviruses, rather than remaining in the nose, can infect the lungs as well, complicating other conditions like asthma or cystic fibrosis.

"Rhinovirus can cause more disease in certain people, and when I say'‘certain people,' I mean a lot of people," Gern told Mashable.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety says Canadian adults suffer 2-5 bouts with the cold annually, and colds are a leading cause of missed work days.

SOURCES: Emory University | Nature Communications | Mashable | CCOHS

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