provides a comprehensive look at the
who, what, when and how of Interferon
< b>Interferon: A naturally occurring substance that interferes with the
ability of viruses to reproduce. Interferon also boosts the immune system.
There are a number of different interferons. They fall into three main classes
: alpha, beta, and gamma. All are proteins (lymphokines) normally produced by the
body in response to infection. The interferons have been synthesized using recombinant
DNA technology.
The goal of interferon therapy is to eradicate a virus from an infected person.
Using interferon, for example, to eradicate the hepatitis B or C virus will, it
is hoped, prevent the future development of cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. This
may require months and even years of interferon treatment and may not be effective
in many patients.
In therapeutic doses, interferon can be hard to tolerate because of the side-effects,
with flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, headache and aches and, less regularly,
low thyroid activity, arthritis, low platelet count and depression which can attain
suicidal proportions.
Interferon was discovered in 1957 by the Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann (who
did not receive the Nobel Prize for their discovery). Interferon is so named because
of its ability to interfere with virus reproduction.
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