Microsoft chairman Bill Gates may have lost $18 billion in the economic crisis, but he's still the world's richest man, according to Forbes magazine, which estimates Gates' wealth as being around 40 billion.
Gates is more closely associated with computer viruses than viruses that directly impact human health. But today the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that it's received a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to identify avian virus mutations that would serve as early warnings of potential pandemic influenza viruses.
(Image: thegipper)
Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, is principal investigator on the project, which will bring together a team of scientists from around the world.
"Early intervention is critical to the control of influenza virus outbreaks," Kawaoka says. "But in order to intervene, we rely on early recognition of the pandemic potential of newly emerging influenza viruses."
He added that the focus will be on finding mutations in avian influenza viral proteins. These can sometimes bind to human receptors or facilitate efficient germ spread in human cells.
Avian viruses, however, don't generally infect human or other mammalian hosts. But every once in a while, a mutation occurs that allows avian viruses to adapt to human cells. That is generally when a pandemic occurs.By identifying mutations that might allow this to occur, Kawaoka and his colleagues hope they can develop an early warning system that will make it easier to predict the pandemic potential of influenza viruses.
"The improved ability to predict whether a virus has pandemic potential would be an invaluable asset to the global community," Kawaoka says. "Millions of lives might be saved if intervention methods - such as social distancing, antiviral compound distribution, and vaccine development/production - could be implemented early."
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