Does Ordinary Bakers Yeast Hold Secret to Curing Common Cold?
ORDINARY baker’s yeast may harbor a cure for the common cold, according to a scientist who says he made the discovery by accident. Hidden in the genetic machinery of yeast is a newly discovered molecule that prevents cold viruses from replicating inside human cells, said Dr. Asim Dasgupta, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of California in Los Angeles. When this molecule is diffused into human cells — so far this has been done only in a laboratory dish — the virus is stopped dead in its tracks; it can no longer spread to other cells, he said. The molecule also stops the spread of polio, hepatitis A and Coxsackie virus, which belong to the same family as the common cold virus, Dr. Dasgupta said. But it has no effect on other families of viruses, including influenza virus. If the molecule lives up to its early promise, Dr. Dasgupta said, it will be the most precise antiviral agent ever discovered. Other antiviral drugs exert their effects on host cells as wel
