Professor Ian Clarke and Dr Paul Lambden from the University鈥檚 School of Medicine have been awarded a grant for 拢473鈥�000聽by the Wellcome Trust for a study which will examine why norovirus gastroenteritis聽鈥� popularly referred to as 鈥榞astric flu鈥櫬犫�� is confined to specific parts of the small intestine.聽
Noroviruses are recognised world鈥搘ide as the most important cause of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis (stomach bugs) and pose a significant public health burden with an estimated 1 million cases per year in the UK.
Professor Ian Clarke says: 鈥淭he 鈥榬everse genetics’ system is a critical new tool which allows the systematic manipulation of virus genes to determine their function.
鈥淒espite their widespread prevalence, and their identification 30 years ago, no human noroviruses have as yet been adapted to grow in the laboratory, thereby restricting knowledge of the transmission and immunobiology of this distinct and highly infectious group of viruses.鈥�
In recognition of their promising results, Professor Clarke and Dr Lambden have also been awarded a prestigious Food Standards Agency postgraduate scholarship to develop rapid and simple detection protocols that could be easily used by the food and water industries.
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over 拢600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.