Influenza virus can overcome potentially crippling mutations

New research could improve the effectiveness of flu vaccines and therapies Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown that for the virus that causes the flu, two wrongs can sometimes make a right. In a new study, the researchers demonstrated that in rare instances, influenza viruses handicapped by a single mutation can overcome their disadvantage with the aid of other mutations—a phenomenon known as epistasis. “The term epistasis means that the combined effect of two individual mutations can’t be predicted ahead of time,” said TSRI Postdoctoral Researcher and study first author Nicholas Wu. “Individually, each of these mutations kill the virus, but together, they compensate for each other’s harmful effects.” The unexpected finding, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, could have implications for the development of flu vaccines and drug therapies. “This study shows that the evolution of the influenza virus can surprise us,” Wu said, “but if we know...