Vaccine to treat viral stomach flu?

Many people get sick from norovirus each year. The disease is often called vomiting illness, and it can spread rapidly. The virus is shed in the stool of the infected individual, has a short incubation period and can spread quickly if proper hand washing and other measures are neglected. Developing a vaccine has proved difficult. Scientists note that vaccines for intestinal infections are among the most difficult to develop. However, Dr. Thomas Smith, principal investigator, at The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has conducted some research which indicates that an anti-viral could be developed from a greater understanding of the virsu at the the atomic level. In other words, the shape of the virsus offers clues. Dr. Smith discovered that because of the "lollipop" structure, antibodies against the norovirus may be able to bind to the more conserved underside of this floppy structure. To read more about this, read the press release from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.