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Giant magnet used to study influenza virus

Respiratory Care Weekly, November 15, 2006

This year, soldiers in the war against flu bugs have unleashed a new weapon in their arsenal-a massive nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device, according to a press release. Lab technologists at Florida State University (FSU) plan to examine Influenza Type A close up, leveraging the power of a 15-ton, 900-megahertz magnet to produce a detailed picture of the virus' skin.

"Using the magnet helps us build a blueprint for a virus' mechanics of survival," said Timothy Cross, PhD, lab director and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at FSU. "The more detailed the blueprint, the better our chances of developing drugs capable of destroying it."

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