NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: March 11, 1999
Media Advisory m99-049

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Summary

-- News release: New flu drug results from space research
-- Video file for March 11
-- Live interview opportunities for flu story, March 12

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News Releases for March 11, 1999

SPACE RESEARCH MAY ACCELERATE 
DEVELOPMENT OF FLU FIGHTING DRUG

A NASA-industry team has used the results of Space Shuttle 
experiments to develop a new flu drug that may decrease the 
length and severity of the illness and even prevent the 
development of symptoms in those exposed to the virus. With 
NASA support for space and ground-based research, Dr. Ming 
Luo, a professor at the Center for Macromolecular 
Crystallography at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 
and an international team of crystallographers developed the 
"molecular map" of the flu virus from space-grown protein 
crystals. The map was used to design drugs that block the 
undesirable characteristics of the virus.

Contact at Headquarters: Renee Juhans, 202/358-1712;
Contact at Marshall Space Flight Center: Steve Roy, 256/544-
6535.

Full text of the release:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-039.txt

If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will 
e-mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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Contract Awards

Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition 
Information Service Web site:

http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html

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Video File for March 11, 1999

ITEM 1. FLU RESEARCH
ITEM 1A. FLU CRYSTALS; CRYSTAL GROWTH IN SPACE (time lapse)
ITEM 1B. FLU RESEARCHERS AT WORK
ITEM 1C. INTERVIEW - DR. LARRY DELUCAS, RESEARCHER - 
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
ITEM 1D. INTERVIEW - DR. CHARLIE BUGG, CEO BIOCRYST 
PHARMACEUTICALS

Contact at Headquarters: Renee Juhans, 202/358-1712.
Contact at Marshall Space Flight Center: Steve Roy, 256-544-
6535.

The NASA Video File airs at noon, 3, 6, 9 p.m. and midnight 
Eastern time. NASA Television is available on GE-2, 
transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical 
polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz, with audio 
at 6.8 megahertz. The full text of the most recent NASA 
Video File Advisory can be found at:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt

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Upcoming Live Television Interview Opportunities for Flu 
Story

March 12, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST.  

Talent: Dr. Karen Moore, biotechnology scientist from the 
Center for Molecular Crystallography, a NASA Commercial Space 
Center in Birmingham, Alabama. To book a time, call Terasha 
King at (256) 544-3234 or Connie James at 256-544-1183 (PIN 
0224).

Full text of the advisory can be found at:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt

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end of daily news summary

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