Scientists identify protein that allows flu virus to replicate in cells

When we are ill with a virus infection, it is because the virus has entered cells in our body and taken over their machinery to make copies of itself. Finding ways to disrupt this process is important for antiviral drug development. Now, a new study reveals how the flu virus relies on a protein in the host cell to help it complete its mission. The study team – led by researchers at Imperial College London in the UK – reports the findings in the journal Nature and suggests they may lead to improvements in how we treat pandemic and seasonal flu, which infects over 800 million people worldwide every year. Flu pandemics occur when aninfluenza or flu virus that has been circulating in bird populations undergoes a change that allows it to infect mammal cells. Otherwise, an avian flu virus cannot usually infect mammals. Senior author Wendy Barclay, a professor at Imperial who...