20 good things that happened in 2017

8. Frogs might help us beat the flu

Influenza is one of those diseases that people tend to accept as an endemic seasonal problem with no real cure, similar to the common cold. Vaccines are important, to be sure, and make a big difference in how cold and flu season moves through a community. However, the presence of the flu virus has long been a fact greeted with resignation.

Now, thanks to a newly discovered frog species, this situation could take a dramatic turn. In fact, some people are predicting that we could see the end of the flu as a constant issue.

It all started with Hydrophylax bahuvistara, a frog that was first described in 2015. This South Indian frog gained researchers’ interest because it releases a gooey secretion on its back. That goo has some genuinely fascinating antimicrobial properties.

Researchers caught individual frogs, gave them a harmless electrical shock to produce mucus, and then collected samples for experiments. They discovered that the secretion contains four different peptides (short chains of amino acids) that can combat viruses. Three of those peptides react with human blood cells, making them unfit for use.

Peptides and proteins

That fourth peptide, however, is proving to be interesting. Scientists, who named the peptide urumin, discovered that it had similar virus-killing properties to the other three amino acid chains, but without the human toxicity.

In a study, scientists inoculated mice with the urumin and then injected them with deadly levels of the H1, or “swine flu”, virus. The mice survived, thanks to the urumin in their systems. It turns out that the urumin peptide binds to a protein on influenza viruses.

If developed for human use, an urumin-based vaccine could be revolutionary. Currently, scientists must develop a new vaccine for each strain of influenza. This can lead to major problems if the season’s flu virus is especially virulent or undergoes an unexpected mutation. In contrast, urumin might help them create a vaccine that works for all strains and can lend further protection.