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Technology related to childhood virus now available for licensing from Montana State University

A virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting in young children is a major problem in developing countries, killing approximately 750,000 children a year under age five, says Montana State University researcher Michele Hardy. The same type of virus, called a rotavirus, is said to be responsible in this country for some three million cases of diarrhea and 55,000 hospitalizations a year.

Looking for a way to boost natural immunity before vaccines take effect, Hardy and other MSU scientists have come up with a quick test to screen compounds that might enhance resistance to rotavirus infection and, possibly, infection by other disease-causing agents that enter through the mucous membrane system.

That technology is available now to companies and entrepreneurs who want to license and develop it further. Nick Zelver of the MSU Technology Transfer Office said those who are interested in licensing the discovery should write to him by Friday, March 23. They can contact him at (406) 994-7868, http://tto.montana.edu or at [email protected]

Hardy said rotavirus is a gastrointestinal virus that mainly affects children between six months and two years old. It’s related to norovirus, or Norwalk Virus, which strikes adults and has gained notoriety for outbreaks in nursing home and cruise ships.

MSU’s new technology allows researchers to test several compounds at once and see at a glance which ones hold promise, Hardy said. A wide range of possible compounds have already been identified, which include Vitamin A, synthetic materials and plant extracts.

MSU researchers came up with the new technology by adapting a technique they had been using for several years to measure rotavirus infectivity, Hardy said. The established technology required a microscope. A positive result showed up in fluorescent colors.

The new technology works inside cells, eliminates manual counting, and measures inhibition of viral replication. To start the process, researchers add compounds to cells. Then they infect the cells with rotavirus and incubate them. The scientists can tell which compounds have potential for further development by comparing the level of viral replication in the different test samples. Promising compounds reduce the amount of viral replication.

Hardy and other MSU researchers described the new technology in a paper they co-authored and published last fall in "Virology Journal." Lead author was Mark Shaneyfelt. Other MSU co-authors were Anna Burke, Joel Graff and Mark Jutila. The paper said the researchers hope the new technology will have applications beyond rotavirus. They’d like to see it used in work that involves viruses like hepatitis C, HIV and SARS.

To date, MSU has licensed 112 technologies developed by faculty, Zelver said. Sixty-seven of those licenses are within Montana companies. To access these and other MSU technologies, visit http://tto.montana.edu/technologies

Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or [email protected]

http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=4565

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