Professor Ian Clarke and Dr Paul Lambden from the University’s School of Medicine have been awarded a grant for ?473?000?by the Wellcome Trust for a study which will examine why norovirus gastroenteritis?– popularly referred to as ‘gastric flu’?– is confined to specific parts of the small intestine.?

Noroviruses are recognised world–wide as the most important cause of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis (stomach bugs) and pose a significant public health burden with an estimated 1 million cases per year in the UK.

Professor Ian Clarke says: “The ‘reverse genetics’ system is a critical new tool which allows the systematic manipulation of virus genes to determine their function.

“Despite their widespread prevalence, and their identification 30 years ago, no human noroviruses have as yet been adapted to grow in the laboratory, thereby restricting knowledge of the transmission and immunobiology of this distinct and highly infectious group of viruses.”

In recognition of their promising results, Professor Clarke and Dr Lambden have also been awarded a prestigious Food Standards Agency postgraduate scholarship to develop rapid and simple detection protocols that could be easily used by the food and water industries.

The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over ?600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.