Flu institute will serve as research hub, Doyle says

State laboratory also picked to test anti-virals' effectiveness

March 15, 2006
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The establishment of a $9 million research institute will make Madison a national hub for genetic research studies on influenza viruses, information needed to fight the deadly strain of bird flu that's circulating globally, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Wednesday.

In addition, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to become the first state laboratory to test whether flu strains will respond to commonly used anti-viral drugs, he said.

"We have the very best minds working to understand the virus in this state," Doyle said.

The announcements were made to about 300 Wisconsin public health officials, state representatives, physicians and business leaders during a summit on pandemic flu preparedness. The audience listened intently while seated around tables equipped with a box of tissues, anti-bacterial soap and a flier reminding them to always practice good respiratory hygiene.

The H5N1 strain has infected a large number of domestic birds in Asia and about 180 people, including 98 who have died since 2003.

Most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds, though the World Health Organization and others have warned that the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, possibly triggering a global pandemic.

The 20,000-square-foot Institute for Influenza Viral Research will be headed by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a world-renowned flu researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and will be built in existing space at the University Research Park on the far west side of Madison.

Kawaoka has been conducting research on the influenza A virus and other viruses at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine since 1997.

He was among the first to study the avian influenza strain that infected humans during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong, and he discovered the genetic basis for why the worst pandemic in modern history, the 1918-'19 Spanish flu virus, was so lethal.

In October, Kawaoka was among a group of international researchers who reported the discovery of a Vietnamese girl with a strain of the H5N1 avian flu virus that is resistant to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The discovery raised concern about sole reliance on Tamiflu, which is being stockpiled globally to fight a possible flu pandemic.

Anti-viral resistance is also a problem during the seasonal flu, which typically starts in Wisconsin in late November or early December, peaks in January or early February and ends in March. Earlier this year, the CDC urged doctors nationwide not to prescribe two anti-virals - rimantadine and amantadine - after testing of 120 influenza A virus samples from the H3N2 strain revealed that 91%, or 109, were resistant to the two drugs. Two years ago, fewer than 2% of the samples were resistant. Last year, 11% were, the CDC said.

The Wisconsin state lab, which expects to begin amantadine resistance testing this fall, has already purchased the $100,000 equipment needed to conduct the specialized molecular tests, said Peter Shult, chief virologist for the state laboratory.

The lab can handle as many as 500 influenza samples per day and would be able to determine resistance within eight hours, Shult said.

James Tracy, associate dean for research at the veterinary school, said the institute for viral research will house only Kawaoka and his 18-person laboratory team.

Kawaoka will have discretion to add more people, he said.

The institute will include specialized facilities to conduct Biosafety Level 2, Level 3 and Level 3-Agriculture research and limited office space. The levels ensure that the researchers will be able to safely study microbes that could cause significant harm to humans, animals or plants. Each lab will contain specialized equipment that prevents escape of the influenza virus from the lab.

Also, as part of the deal, the school of veterinary medicine will open three new faculty positions for scientists who will collaborate with Kawaoka, Tracy said.

The building proposal for the institute will be reviewed by the UW Board of Regents and the state building commission in April, said Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities at the university.

If approved, construction could begin as early as September and be completed in about a year, Tracy said.