If everything goes well, then days are not far away when the tool to fight Bird-flu would be there in experts’ hands. This hope sparked up after researchers at Griffith University Institute for Glycomics, in the leadership of Professor Mark Von Itzstein developed a technique to ‘crack the code’ of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus.
Experts strongly believe that cracking of this code would help them interrogating one of the viruses’ key surface proteins without risk of infections. This may certainly help them identifying different deadly viruses, including viruses of avian flu and other influenza. Handling live virus, normally, requires high-containment laboratory procedures, however, experts used ‘virus-like particle’, diminishing the need of expensive laboratory procedures. Remarking on the important role played by ‘virus-like particles‘, Professor Von Itzstein observed:
It’s similar to the way it would be difficult to work out how a gun functions by only studying a bullet.
As conclusion, it could be said that this achievement would certainly herald a new era that would whip out the end of deadly bird-flu!
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