L’influenza invernale e il raffreddore potrebbero in futuro scomparire dal vocabolario. Per la prima volta, infatti, è stata scoperta una molecola in grado di combattere i malanni di stagione, infezioni contro le quali al momento non esiste alcuna arma.
I primi test, pubblicati sulla rivista Nature Chemistry, sono stati condotti su cellule umane e mostrano la capacità della sostanza scoperta di impedire al virus di invadere le cellule.
"È la prima tappa di un cammino ancora lungo", ha commentato il biochimico Roberto Solari, che ha condotto la ricerca nell'Imperial College di Londra al fianco del collega Edward Tate. "Dopo i test sulle cellule, la prossima tappa sarà la sperimentazione su modelli animali". Se il composto risulterà efficace sui topi, bisognerà dimostrare che è sicuro. "Quindi si potrà passare ai primi test sugli umani, ma ci vorranno molti anni", ha aggiunto.
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