Ottawa student creates 'flu glue'

Ottawa -- An Ottawa high school student who devised a molecule to which flu viruses adhere Wednesday won a national student biotechnology competition.

Maria Merziotis, a 17-year-old senior at Hillcrest High School, bested 13 other regional champions to win the 2008 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. She and the second-place finisher will represent Canada in the international BioGENEius Challenge in San Diego June 16-18, the CBC said.

Merziotis used an enzyme to make sialyllactose, a material on the outside of human cells to which flu viruses can stick, by combining sialic acid and lactose. Her discovery has the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool or to even to prevent flu infections, the network said.

"It was such a shock and I was shaking when I got my award, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me so far in my life," said Merziotis, who won $5,000 for her efforts.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.