Washington, July 20 -- Researchers at EMBL Hamburg and their collaborators have mapped, for the first time, how the influenza A virus directly rewires infected human cells by tracking virus-host protein interactions inside intact cells.

Published in Nature Microbiology, the peer-reviewed study offers unprecedented structural insight into how the virus hijacks cellular machinery, a breakthrough that could support the development of improved flu drugs and vaccines.

Seasonal influenza causes up to 650,000 deaths worldwide every year and leads to serious illness in an estimated 3-5 million people. Influenza A has also been responsible for several pandemics, including the 1918 Spanish Flu.

The research team from EMBL Hamburg, the Leibniz Re...