Bypassing the "species barrier" with carbohydrate-altered interferon from leukocytes

Interferon, a glycoprotein with demonstrated antitumor and antiviral properties, can be obtained from cells of different species, and some of these interferons can be effective across species lines. I hypothesize that the ability to cross or not to cross species lines lies in the carbohydrate moiety, and cross-species biological activity is a property of the polypeptide. This would represent one of the first major roles uncovered for glycosylation in any biological system. If this hypothesis is correct, then it should be possible to use animal-derived interferon as a large scale, inexpensive source to treat human diseases.