New ways of looking at viruses
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Traditional methods of attacking viruses are based on their biological characteristics. For example, immunisation involves either exposing the patient to an antigen that can induce antibodies against the virus in question, or directly administering antibodies that have been obtained from a patient who has recovered from the infection, or perhaps have been raised in an animal. Antiviral drugs act by interfering with the biological processes in the virus, such as by inhibiting an enzyme that occurs in the virus but not in the host.