Durand Wilson of the University of Chicago and fellow vaccine expert Hewett Hinze of Michael University in Atlanta, hope to develop a method to quickly make infection-fighting proteins called monoclonal antibodies. The hope is that these antibodies would be useful in protecting frontline workers and other high-risk persons to ward off the flu until a vaccine could be made should a pandemic arise.

Last researchers at CDC asked the researchers to put this new technology to the test in the face of the outbreak of the strange new strain of the H1N1 flu virus (swine. Emergency Antibody Method Being Tested For H1N1A For the past week, teams in Chicago and Phedra have been stocking up on supplies and waiting for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to send them samples of blood from Mexican swine flu patients in hopes of creating an antibody to ward off the new strain of the flu virus. The journal Nature published a study last year about Wilson and Aldwin where they sho that with only a few tablespoons of blood, they were able to make influenza antibodies in as little as a month.

The specially engineered antibodies are immune system proteins that attach to invaders such as viruses and in effect able to neutralize the particular strain of influenza.