Researcher Taking On The Flu

Sunday, November 25th 2007, 4:29 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A virologist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center who studies how viruses, specifically influenza, infect and mutate hopes to improve the flu vaccine. Gillian Air, a George Lynn Cross Research Professor at OU, has studied influenza for 30 years.

Air's research includes looking at the antibodies from people who get the flu shot, studying how their body reacts to the vaccination.

She works with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation on its study of the flu vaccination's effects on lupus patients.

Air evaluates the antibodies of patients both before and after they get the vaccination, looking at the quality and quantity of the antibodies.

Gillian Air says researchers are always making progress. But with progress, researchers see there is more to do.