People also have antiviral 'plant defences'
Monday, September 27, 2010 - 05:14
in Health & Medicine
In addition to known antiviral agents such as antibodies and interferons, people also seem to have a similar immune system to that previously identified in plants. This is the result of research carried out by Esther Schnettler with which she hopes to obtain her doctorate at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, on 27 September. Together with the group of Professor Ben Berkhout of the Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam, Schnettler discovered that a protein used by plant viruses to bypass plant resistance can also impair the defence against HIV viruses in people. Schnettler`s findings may open up new opportunities for improving health.