Mary K. Estes

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Corresponding author on breakthrough study

Human norovirus eluded laboratory cultivation for nearly six decades, which prevented vaccine development for a pathogen that sickens 700 million people annually. Baylor College of Medicine researchers broke this barrier using the drug TAK-779 to achieve 10 to 15 consecutive rounds of viral replication in lab-grown human intestinal tissue, yielding stable virus stocks for the first time.

Updated May 27