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David Chu, fourth-year biochemistry student is researching nipah virus.

Before long, a vaccine may be created for the Nipah virus, a disease that could potentially wreak havoc on human respiratory systems.

The researcher behind the cure? A UCLA undergraduate.

David Chu, a fourth-year biochemistry student, is working on determining the methods by which the virus, which is found in fruit bats, enters human and animal cells.

Chu, who has been working in the laboratory of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics Associate Professor Benhur Lee for the past two years, compared Nipah to the avian flu, which can be transmitted to humans by birds.

Fruit bats are thought to be natural hosts of the virus, which means that they can carry it and not experience its symptoms, Chu said.

Nipah has been detected in such livestock as pigs and horses, and, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, outbreaks of the disease were found among people throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Infection of the virus can cause a number of respiratory disorders as well as meningitis, inflammation of the brain and even death, Chu said.

Before researchers can find a cure for the virus, they must understand the mechanisms by which it operates.

“If you can understand how the virus enters the cell, you can create therapeutics,” Chu said. “In order to do that, you have to study how it detects a cell, how it reproduces and so forth. That’s what scientific research is all about.”

Oscar Negrete, a postdoctoral scholar in microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and Chu’s mentor on the project, said that the National Institutes of Health funded the research four years ago because of concerns about the virus’ possible use in bioterrorism.

“After the anthrax attacks, the government came out with a list of agents that were (able to be made into weapons),” Negrete said. “Nipah was put on the list.”

While Chu is an integral part of the lab team now, he admitted that, when he first began research, he lacked the technical knowledge necessary for success.

“When you first start, you don’t know any techniques, so you have to learn them,” said Negrete, who mentored Chu through his first year. “At this point he’s pretty much hands-off. He’s very independent and understands the next questions to ask.”

Chu, whose name appeared as the second author on a paper written by Negrete and published in the Journal of Virology, said that he first started doing research to gain familiarity in a laboratory setting.

“I wanted to get some lab experience (and) see how a lab functions,” he said. “I became more and more comfortable with the research environment.”

He added that whereas before he was unsure about whether to attend graduate school after college, he will now pursue it because of his experiences in the lab.

Audrey Cramer, the director of the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center and the Center for Academic and Research Excellence, said that this transition is common among undergraduate researchers.

“They’re right there at the core of science; they’re the ones making the discoveries,” Cramer said, adding that many pre-med students have changed their medical school plans after their research experiences.

Though Chu started working in the laboratory through a work-study program, he has stayed in it after being awarded scholarships by the Undergraduate Research Fellows and Scholars Programs, which are granted by the Undergraduate Research Center.

Chu stressed the importance of starting research early through such organizations at the center as the Student Research Program, which was started at UCLA in 1985.

“The good thing about SRP is there’s no heavy commitment,” Chu said. “It’s sort of like testing the waters. It’s a good chance to get a feel for how research is conducted.”

Cramer added that students who decide to stick with the program for several years reap further benefits because projects often require up to a year of work before results are found.

“It’s a good experience for students to learn how to function when the timeline is really long,” she said. “It’ll serve them well in the future.”

The innate inquisitiveness that Chu has was indulged by his experience working in the laboratory, he said.

“If you have that scientific curiosity, research is there for questions,” Chu said. “There are answers to the questions, but it’s up to you to find them.”