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Flu drug research takes Intel STS top honors

Intel STS 2014 winners (left to right) William Kuszmaul, Kevin Lee and Eric Chen.

Chris Ayers Photography/SSP

By Sid Perkins

- More than 2 years ago

WASHINGTON — A teenager’s computer analyses that identified six potential new flu-fighting compounds claimed first place March 11 at the awards gala for the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search.

Eric Chen, 17, of San Diego won the $100,000 by using supercomputers to analyze molecules that might block activity of an enzyme that all flu viruses use to reproduce.