Coughing, sniffling and other symptoms are caused by our immune system's reaction to cold viruses, says a University of Calgary scientist, who is researching gene responses in the hope of finding new treatments.

The research, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, could lead to better prevention, said David Proud, a professor in the faculty of medicine.

'We really understand much more about how the virus might be triggering all these effects, and that I think gives us a road map.'— Dr. David Proud

"People have been trying to cure the cold for years, for centuries basically, but most of what we have out there just treats individual symptoms," said Proud in an interview with CBC News Friday.

"This was really an attempt to try and get rational, if you will, about how to try to treat the cold, and to try and understand the root cause."

The study was the first that took a comprehensive look at what happens when rhinovirus, the major cause of the common cold, infects a person. Researchers used gene chip technology to see how every gene in the body responded to the virus.

"People have looked piecemeal at this thing before, looking at perhaps one thing here and one thing there. But with the advent of this super, new gene chip technology that lets us look at the gene assessment from every gene, we were able to do a really comprehensive look," said Proud.

"We really understand much more about how the virus might be triggering all these effects, and that I think that gives us a road map."

Antiviral protein a natural cold fighter

A recently discovered antiviral protein called viperin plays a natural role in our body's fight against the common cold, said Proud. Strengthening these types of proteins could lead to new ways in the future of treating the underlying cause of colds.

The study was done in collaboration with scientists at the University of Virginia and the Procter & Gamble Company.

"Advances in our understanding of the biology of the common cold may eventually lead to improvements in treatment or methods for prevention of colds," said Ron Turner of the University of Virginia, one of the study's authors, in a statement.

While a cold is usually seen as an inconvenience, rather than a health threat, it plays a role in more serious conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, which are costly to Canada's health-care system, Proud said.