They suggest that a similar approach may potentially be used to produce safer vaccines for people. Generally, viruses are allowed access to cells by receptors, molecules on the cell surface that serve as docking points for infectious viruses. When cattle were injected with viruses lacking the docking site, they did not show any signs of the disease. They did, however, develop immunity to the disease when exposed to the natural virus. One drawback to the approach, however, was its inability to produce large amounts of the harmless virus.
Infected cells release millions of copies of the original virus when they die and burst open.
To circumvent this problem, the research group, together with Angray Kang, Ph.D., of The Scripps Research Institute, developed the world's first artificial receptor for the virus, thereby creating an alternative route for the virus to gain entry into the cells. This receptor was produced by fusing the gene for an antibody fragment that recognized the virus to a gene for a molecule that can serve as the receptor for the virus that causes the common cold. Cells programmed to carry this new gene were able to produce large amounts of the virus that was completely harmless in cattle. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium with out express written permission of TSRI is prohibited.