British researchers say a new method of studying potentially deadly disease-causing bacteria could help speed up the process of developing vaccines.
Scientists at the University of Exeter have developed a screening procedure that can quickly isolate and identify the virulent parts of the gene structures of pathogenic bacteria, a university release said Thursday.
The procedure allows researchers to run thousands of tests simultaneously in which genes from the pathogen are pitted against the human blood cells that normally attack them.
"By looking at the results from these tests it is possible to determine which parts of a pathogen's genetic code allow it to override immune systems," Andrea Dowling, from Exeter's Center for Ecology and Conservation, said. "From there we can focus in on those key areas to find out how the pathogen works and how we can develop vaccines."
The research was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
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