The number of times the common cold has been cured, or prevented, is far too long a list for this site - though recently those claims have been overtaken by the kookier segments of homeopathy.

But researchers at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge say they are onto something.   

Ordinarily, once a virus has invaded the human cell, the battle is over and even antibiotics don't help as they can against bacteria - but the researchers now say some antibodies remain and can form a 'last line of defense' against viruses, even inside cells.   Their study in PNAS states that cells possess a cytosolic IgG receptor, tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21), which binds to antibodies with a higher affinity than any other IgG receptor in the human body and that their infection experiments show TRIM21 neutralizes viral infection.

That means our bodies have an 'intracellular arm' that can provide adaptive even inside the cell after infection has occurred.

Obviously it isn't just colds that could be on the run; many other viruses responsible for a variety of diseases could also be targeted and the first clinical trials of new drugs based on their findings could begin in the two to five year range - which would result in twice as many saved lives as cancer deaths.  First, there need to be animal trials and the results have to hold up.

If they do, a nasal spray that uses the bodies innate adaptability to cure colds could be on the way.

Citation: Donna L. Mallery, William A. McEwan, Susanna R. Bidgood, Greg J. Towers, Chris M. Johnson, and Leo C. James, 'Antibodies mediate intracellular immunity through tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21)', PNAS published ahead of print November 2, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.1014074107 (open access)