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New flu vaccine could protect against avian flu

Respiratory Care Weekly, October 11, 2006

A new peptide discovered by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison could lead to a broad-based flu vaccine protecting against a wide variety of viruses including avian flu, according to a study published online October 4 by the Journal of Virology. The peptide hooks on to the virus and prevents it from attaching to other cells and multiplying in the human system.

Pretreatment with the peptide provided 100% protection against numerous subtypes of flu, including the highly pathogenic H5N1 [avian flu] viruses, reported the Journal. The new drug, known as entry blocker, is a fragment of a larger human protein whose role in biology is to help things pass through membranes such as those that encapsulate cells.

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