Fighting H1N1 -- New Ways to Kill the Flu

Reported October

ATLANTA, Ga. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The World Health Organization says a new vaccine targeting the H1N1 virus could be available in some countries this fall. Swine flu has shown up in countries all over the world, and with winter approaching, health officials are escalating the anti-flu offensive. Here in the U.S., researchers have found a new way to make antibodies that can fight flu viruses like H1N1.

"I was sick," Michael Mattus told Ivanhoe. "I had a fever of 102."

"Headache, sore throat," Adam Stecker described to Ivanhoe. "I was really cold, and I was like in a sleeping bag in my tent with three layers on."

These boy scouts got swine flu several weeks ago, after they were exposed to the virus at camp.

"They took a lot of kids in this one room, and they said, stay in here for quarantine," Christopher Travers explained to Ivanhoe.

"I did not realize it would be that prevalent or that it would spread as far as it did in that short period of time," Jerry Travers told Ivanhoe.

Working in secure biohazard labs, Emory University immunologists -- experts in the body’s immune system -- have found a new, faster way to detect specific strains of H1N1. From just a small amount of infected blood, scientists use a cell sorting system to produce a highly targeted protein called monoclonal antibodies.

"These antibodies can be used for multiple things." Jens Wrammert, Ph.D., an immunologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., told Ivanhoe. "They can be used for diagnostic purposes and, ultimately, of course, they can be used for treatment of patients."

No one knows how many more will get H1N1.

"As soon as I got back, they started calling me ‘swine flu boy'," Stecker explained. "And I'm like, 'You’re next,' because I've been hearing all over that it’s coming in the fall."

If more H1N1 is coming, this research could soon mean a better way to fight it. Emory immunologists say not only does this new technique offer a quicker swine flu diagnosis than anything currently available; it could also be applied to almost any kind of disease or emerging infection.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Jens Wrammert, PhD
Microbiology/Immunology
Emory University
(404) 727-9301
jwramme@emory.edu

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