E-Mail IMAGE: Researchers were able to use cells from human donors and re-grow the structure of the airway surface, the epithelium, to recreate the first line of defense against respiratory viruses. This... view more Credit: Hunter Medical Research Institute Research into a new drug which primes the immune system in the respiratory tract and is in development for COVID-19 shows it is also effective against rhinovirus. Rhinovirus is the most common respiratory virus, the main cause of the common cold and is responsible for exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In a study recently published in the