The article titled "structure of the dengue virus envelope protein after membrane fusion," essentially describes how the virus fuses with and enters human cells. The research is significant because other viruses such as West Nile and yellow fever likely attack human cells the same way, said David Watumull, president and chief executive for Hawaii Biotech.

That means the research could help in the development of vaccines for the diseases as well as drugs designed to disrupt the disease process, he said. Hawaii Biotech provided the synthetic dengue protein for the research, which was done in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School.

In addition to peer recognition for those involved, the article provides exposure for the state’s fledgling biotech industry, which also includes companies such as Tissue Genesis, Hoana Medical and Hoku Scientific.

"A lot of people say you can’t do this from Hawai'i," Watumull said. "This is an example that you can."

'Aiea-based Hawaii Biotech is researching a variety of antidotes including vaccines for the West Nile virus and dengue fever. The privately held biopharmaceutical company was founded in 1982 by nine University of Hawai'i professors.

The article in Nature is among the biggest splashes for local research since 1998, when work on cloned mice by Ryuzo Yanagimachi and others at UH resulted in three articles in Nature.