Scientists report new approach to attack flu virus

An international research team has manufactured a new protein that can combat deadly flu epidemics. The paper, featured in the current issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates ways to use manufactured genes as antivirals, which disable key functions of the flu virus, said Tim Whitehead, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University.

"Our most potent design has proven effective on the vulnerable sites on many pandemic influenza viruses, including several H1N1 (Spanish flu, Swine flu) and H5N1 (Avian flu) subtypes," said Dr Whitehead, the paper's co-lead author, noting that "these new therapeutics are urgently needed, so we were especially pleased to see that it neutralizes H1N1 viruses with potency."

From its earlier research, the team used computer-aided design to engineer proteins that targeted vulnerable sites on the highly adaptable virus. From there, researchers optimized their designer proteins by comprehensively mapping the mutations that gave the proteins a strong advantage when attacking the viruses' targeted areas.