Health

NIAID initiates flu virus genome sequencing project

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 6, 2004

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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will collaborate with several public and private partners to discern the genetic blueprints for thousands of known human and avian influenza viruses, according to a statement issued by the NIAID last month.

The hope is that the work will provide understanding of how such viruses evolve, spread and cause illness and lead to interventions that could minimize the impact of outbreaks or possible pandemics.

"We anticipate that these data will be used to recognize patterns of genetic changes and illuminate important questions, such as how avian influenza viruses adapt to infect humans," said Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of NIAID.

The work will be led by NIAID in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Biotechnology Information, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Dept. of Health, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the Institute for Genomic Research. The data will be publicly available on the NIH's online databases.

Another NIH institute is adding an influenza-related project. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences will be developing computer models that simulate outbreaks of avian flu to determine the best way to contain the virus.

"These models will help policy-makers design strategies to protect the public from a potentially deadly disease," said Irene Eckstrand, PhD, head of the project.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/12/06/hlbf1206.htm.

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