STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY: With Proton Channel Structure, Flu Fighters Record Hit Against Infection
In the first of its kind study using nuclear magnetic resonance, James Chou (left) and Jason Schnell have captured a detailed snapshot of the crucial pore in common influenza A that allows virus particles to infect and spread in people. The molecular structure, reported in the Jan. 31 Nature, shows how the channel may open and close. It also reveals an unexpected mechanism of drug activity. A family of antiviral drugs became virtually useless several years ago because of mutations in the protein columns that form the channel. Researchers hope the findings will lead to better drugs.

THERAPEUTICS: Nanoparticles Deliver RNAs to Quell Inflammation
Motomu Shimaoka (left), Dan Peer, and colleagues have devised a novel nanoscale packaging approach that uses monoclonal antibodies to target therapeutic RNAs to immune cells. In the Feb. 1 Science, they show that the particles calmed intestinal inflammation in mice by silencing the cyclin D1 gene in immune cells in the gut. The work provides a potential solution to the technical problem of deploying therapeutic RNAs effectively in people and reveals a promising new option for treating inflammatory diseases.

HMS STRATEGIC PLANNING: Consensus Developing on Broad Goals in School Strategic Plan
HMS dean Jeffrey Flier is leading the current Strategic Planning Process, which focuses on the School’s technology infrastructure, commitment to the social sciences, and connections to other Harvard schools. The effort is also picking up questions left unresolved in the HMS curriculum reform initiative.

Copyright 2008 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College