Flu drug research takes Intel STS top honors
By Sid Perkins
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. From a database of more than 450,000 compounds, he narrowed the list to 237. Lab studies identified six potent antiflu agents. The research may lead to medicines that could work during a flu outbreak while new vaccines are developed.