A defense-backed study into predicting flu infections could revolutionize society?s reaction to pandemic flu and even the way run-of-the mill influenza races through elementary schools.
With $750,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency the University Maryland School of Medicine?s Institute for Human Virology hopes to develop a hand-held instant testing device that can scan a blood droplet for the telltale genetic markers of infection, said faculty member Maria Salvato, Ph.D.
Traditional testing relies on detecting actual viral bodies or DNA, or the antibodies produced in fighting influenza, but by that point, she said, you already have the flu.
Very few white blood cells will ever contact a particular invader, Salvato said. “But there are all these cascading secondary and tertiary effects. … Within minutes of giving these pathogens to an animal, you can measure the response throughout their system.”
Studying more than 54,000 genes, IHV researchers identified 400 that are either activated or suppressed by viruses. Of those, 100 “switches” are thrown immediately after a virus enters the body, before symptoms can be measured.
Testing for these telltale signs could help the military determine whom to send into high-stress assignments or missions, Salvato said. In civilian use, it could help maintain quarantines in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak, allowing non-infected individuals to travel freely.
In addition to measuring genetic markers for early warning signs, the DARPA grant calls for studying the estimated 700 to 800 volatile organic compounds that can be found in patients? breath for a traces of flu or flu activity.
