Opinion

Influenza research boost welcome

The University of Wisconsin has long been known as a bastion of world-class research. And soon it will be home to the newly established Institute for Influenza Viral Research.

We applaud the university for participating in such an initiative, spearheading efforts in a crucial front in global health.

UW has been recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the world's leaders in influenza research. Motivated in part by the increasing threat of another influenza pandemic — most notably the avian flu — UW has decided to expand its influenza research lab space by 20,000 square feet. The new institute will be housed in existing space at the University Research Park.

More than half of the funding for the institute will come from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), meaning the price tag for the project — about $9 million — should not cripple the university financially.

The funds that will come from the university itself represent exactly the type of activity a land-grant university such as UW should be partaking in. By harnessing the talent and profile of the university for the practical betterment of citizens, the Wisconsin Idea remains vibrant and real.

Currently, citizens of this state — and the greater population of the world — are being threatened with a deadly virus that has already claimed human life. And the possibility of a future pandemic could become a reality. Often overlooked, the Spanish Influenza of 1918 should serve as a cautionary tale. Scientific research conducted at research universities has helped solve some of the world's most devastating public-health problems, and such research must be aggressively supported.

Past influenza research at UW has helped scientists and drug manufacturers combat the effects of the mutant influenza virus. Now, because of university assistance, we believe the prospects of accelerating groundbreaking influenza research are even brighter.