Antibodies that could protect against bird flu in humans have been isolated by an international team of scientists.
The discovery could lead to treatments that complement flu vaccines in the event of a human epidemic of the virus.
But scientists working in Switzerland, Vietnam and the United States say they have isolated antibodies that they hope could offer protection against several different strains of the virus simultaneously.
Professor Antonio Lanzavecchia, at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland, says the antibodies have already proven effective in the lab and in mice and he is confident that they could be used in humans.
"We in a way exploit the immune response of an individual who has been infected and has survived the infection and of course has made antibodies that neutralise these viruses," he said.
It's hoped human trials of the bird flu antibody could begin soon
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 