St. Louis, Dec. 11, 2007 — Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a controversial phenomenon known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection is suppressed by C1q, a blood-borne immune system compound.The link may give researchers the lead they need to begin untangling a snarl of evidence from decades of puzzling epidemiological and laboratory-based studies of ADE. Better understanding of ADE will help public health experts and clinicians working to control some viral disease outbreaks and aid efforts to design safe and effective vaccines.
