Scientists see promise in new way to fight viruses:

Scientists have discovered a promising new method to fight a range of diseases by boosting the body’s natural defenses against viruses.Mauro Costa-Mattioli of McGill University in Montreal,who helped lead the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature,expressed hope that the results achieved in mice might lead to new antiviral drugs for people.The researchers inactivated two genes in mice that repress production of interferon,a protein that serves as a cell’s first line of defence against viruses.The mice produced much higher levels of interferon,which had the effect of preventing the viruses from reproducing.The technique made the mice and their cells resistant to infection by the influenza virus and a handful of other viruses,Costa-Mattioli’s team said.The mice did not appear to experience any negative consequences from the augmented interferon production.